An Old Friend
by Lady Meka
Summary: Chapter Twenty- (complete) Well, here's your ending...until the sequel. hehehe
1. Default Chapter

An Old Friend  
  
Disclaimers. They apply. Go figure. Damn it. Oh, wait---Asa, and Ai,  
both mine. Just checking. And thanks to Rose, for the names...  
  
Warning: SLIGHT citrus. Only slight, though. Probably not even citrus,  
just wanted to put a warning up...  
  
Prologue-  
  
He hadn't meant to see it. Though a thief and considered an evil being, worthy of the lust of any demoness, he was not as lecherous as he was accused of being. But then, when he did see the woman bathing in the river, he couldn't move. It wasn't as though lust held him in place; it wasn't that at all---he was in awe. Bedazzled by her beauty, her elegance, but not with desire---it was as the eye of the beholder of art. He was observing a unique part of Nature's masterpiece, a portrait of what could have been Eve herself.  
  
That was why he could not turn away, even when his golden eyes sought out two perfect, icy blue ones, and found them. To his surprise, she did not whelp, nor turn away. The completely naked woman that was bathing in the stream...her icy blue eyes locked onto his, smiled, and walked toward him, motioning him to come into the stream after her.  
  
Staring agape, he stepped forth slowly, entering the water and concealing a shudder at the cold of it. She stopped when the water level was to her waist, and he came forward more, until he stood within an arm's reach of her. Thank God for her hair covering her, he thought, wondering how long any resolve he may have had would last against those hypnotic eyes and the wave of black hair that billowed down about her.  
  
"You, you are Youko Kurama," she said, matter-of-factly. Her arms now snaked across her chest, crossing, but not to conceal herself.  
  
The breath seemed to be punched from his lungs. He could have doubled over in pain of lack of oxygen, but he sucked in a sharp breath, averting his eyes from hers, and, after a long moment, answered slowly, "_Hai_. I am."  
  
"Then this is for you," she spoke again, her voice as silk to his ears. He looked at her, furrowing his brow inquiringly, and to his dismay, saw her leaning upward, standing on her tiptoes to reach him at his far superior height. He stiffened, eyes widening, as her lips pressed against his cheek. When she pulled away, she turned, giggling at his widened eyes and slack jaw. He finally allowed his eyes to roam after her as she walked onto the shore, to a small puddle of silk, which she stepped into and pulled upward- a kimono. It covered her, and she pushed her arms into the sleeves, not noticing, as he did, that the material was clinging to her still dripping form like a lover's hand.  
  
She turned again to him, and kneeled down, picking up a comb, and brushing it through her hair, twisting the long, black tendrils around and finally putting the comb into them to hold them in place. Her eyes found his, and another smile graced her pale face. "Come, Youko. I have been expecting you."  
  
He followed, almost against his will. What was it about this woman that had him almost hypnotized? He couldn't help but wonder about this as he followed her through the forest. She paused once they'd reached a place where two trees bent together into an arch, and turned her head back to him, her hands folded in front of her. He took the pause as a gesture for him to stand directly behind her shoulder, and he did, looking at her curiously as she leaned back against him, lifting her lips near his ear to whisper, "You must promise me that what you see here, you will never reveal. Do you promise?"  
  
He nodded in reply, eyes searching hers for the answer to their wonderful, almost bittersweet secret. She smiled radiantly at him, and reached down, her fingers wrapping around his clawed ones. He jumped at the not unpleasant touch, but didn't protest against it, as she tugged on his hand, pulling him through the arch. He saw her back start to disappear as if walking through water and his eyes widened in realization as he figured out that they were walking through a portal.  
  
He went through the portal easily enough, but almost fell over when he saw what was on the other side of it. A magnificent temple, surrounded by plush, green plants of all kinds---rose bushes were what caught his eye-- -stood sparkling in the sunlight, though a second ago, he didn't know it was even there. It was all white marble, and reminded him of something he'd seen before. Youko Kurama was rarely speechless; the sight before him, both young woman and temple, made him shocked to silence.  
  
"Who..." The voice was his, he realized, and let it flow without his own control. "Who are you?" he asked her, furrowing his brow at his own question. It was true, he was curious, but what drove him to ask? Did he really want to know? No. He didn't want to. He needed to know. That was what fueled his yearning to learn about her...  
  
"I am Ai. Ai Sonoma."  
  
No wonder he hadn't picked up any demon scent on her. She wasn't a demon. She was a High Priestess, of the Order of the Fox. That was how she knew his name, who he was. He was being graced by the presence of the equivalent of a goddess to his clan, and all he could do was act like a kit, shy and observant. He followed her up the stairs and into the shrine. She led him, her kimono swishing against the floor with each step, through the alter room, past a few human women, who pointed at Youko and whispered behind their hands, and into a different room altogether---a bedroom.  
  
She turned to him, and smiled, a pure, innocent, almost angelic smile. "Youko, you belong to me. You know that, by now, don't you?"  
  
He looked up at her, sharply, his eyes narrowing defensively. Her smile was infectious. He didn't know her. Why was she affecting him like this? After a moment, he realized it. She was right. He...he belonged to her. But...how? When did this happen? He'd only just seen her, only just learned her name. How did she own him?  
  
"I don't," she spoke softly, whispering, her breath warm against his neck. He jumped, not having heard her come across the room, even with his demon ears twitching back and forth, and knew then that she could read the questions running through his mind. He asked her with his eyes, and she spoke, through tear-brimmed ones of her own, "I belong to you, as well. We belong to each other, Youko. We always have. Don't you remember?"  
  
He did. Now, that she'd reminded him, he remembered clearly. The high priestess had come to him in his dreams, had told him through her stories and tales that they did belong to each other. That was how she knew him so well. That was how he felt like...like she was the missing piece. His eyes widened slightly, and their golden depths found hers, silver hair fanning out over his shoulders and wrapping around her, due to her close proximity, like a tent. "Yes, I remember," he answered, his usual, sly fox tone returning as he settled his hands at the crests of her hips, pulling her closer until her face was only inches away from his. "We belong to one another. You promised me that I'd see you once. You promised me we'd be together, if only for a little while. This is that little while, isn't it?"  
  
"For now, my love," she said, breath now against his lips. He watched her, mind lingering on what she'd called him. Her love...he was _hers_. Just as she was his. Finally unable to stand the tension any longer, he closed the gap between them, roughly claiming her lips with his own. She gasped and a moan died in her throat as his tongue separated her lips and pushed through. One of his sharp, ivory canines penetrated the skin of her lower lip, and she winced, causing him to pull away sharply.  
  
"I'm...sorry," he breathed raggedly, his voice husky and deep. His thumb trailed across the blood on her lip, pushing against it gently to staunch the flow. "I didn't mean-..."  
  
Her finger pressed against his lips to shush him, and she removed it to press hers against his once more, pulling away to say, "It's all right...I understand." Her arms wound around his neck, and she gently pulled him with her as she walked backwards, until the back of her legs hit the bed. She glanced over her shoulder at it, an invitation he didn't refuse. He swept her up with one arm under her knees, and held her with the other around her lower back, walking around to the side of the bed and laying her down gently, his eyes never leaving hers.  
  
It wasn't exactly a memory that most would forget...  
  
- - - - - -   
  
Kurama sat up with a sharp gasp, waking at the same time. Cold beads of sweat poured down his pale face, and his hair was limp with dampness from it, clinging to his skin uncomfortably. His emerald eyes were wide as he looked around feverishly, then remembered where he was. With a heavy sigh, he ran a hand over his eyes, trying to shove the memory away roughly. He'd had the recurring dream of one of Youko's... lovers, for almost a month now. Ever since the Dark Tournament...ever since he had allowed himself to fully unleash Youko.  
  
Of course, this woman wasn't really the same from the others Youko had bedded, she was...his. Kurama's heart was still pounding against his ribcage, and he wondered exactly what this woman had done to Youko to make him remember her so...vividly. The memories had only started recently, mostly in his subconscious. Probing around his mind, he asked Youko, _Who...was she to you?_  
  
-_That is none of your concern, Shuuichi. Go back to sleep.-_  
  
_It's my concern if it's causing me distress. This lack of sleep is, alas, distress. So spill_.  
  
-_That was rather...juvenile_.-  
  
_So sue me. I'm irritable. Just tell me who she is._  
  
_ -No. You may find out, soon enough...-_  
  
What was this that Kurama heard in Youko's voice...this softness? Was it sadness? Some sort of remorse? No, it couldn't possibly be. Youko wasn't...like that. He didn't get attached to...anyone. He'd lost a few friends in his lifetime and managed not to care. So what in the world was going on with Youko and this priestess; Ai?  
  
-_Go back to sleep, Shuuichi.-_  
  
The gentle command caused him to nod, and lulled him into a dreamless state. He'd figure out more about Ai...later...

- - - - -

Man, I hate this stupid editor thing...anyways, there's the prologue...I WARNED you, but I'm not sure it's, you know, too big a deal. Just a few things...first off, yes, this is Kurama X OC, but it's only one of the very few I'll ever do. I'm TOTALLY for KH, but I wanted to write a Botan X Hiei story, too, so I was all like, "Well that's not fair to Foxy!"

Of course, I had to make a Kurama OC story...I can't really see him with any girls on the show ((sorry Kurama-Botan fans, I just CAN'T)). So, I made an OC. No, she's not a Mary Sue. I actually based her off of one of my new innernet buddies, Rose (lol, Rose, Kurama's daughter...get it?), who gave me the names Asa and Ai (thanks, bud!!) And who I imagined to have black hair and blue eyes...she's really cool. Although her stories haven't been updated in a while, and she NEEDS TO UPDATE HER FREAKING STORIES! ahem

So, yeah. No Mary Sue thing. Oh, and um...yeah. I wonder if there's anything else?

Hiei- Hn, stupid baka ningen onna.

I heard that.

Hiei- I know. That's why I said it.

.... -.-;;


	2. Chapter One Asa

Still I own nothing... (cries)  
  
Chapter One-  
  
High school was anything but exciting. At least, as of late. After the dark tournament, things just seemed to be...slow. Without Toguro menacing anyone, things in Spirit World were rather peaceful. So, Kurama was stuck with his life as Shuuichi Minamino, a highschooler with an annoying mass of fangirls chasing him around constantly, and a few friends he saw here and there.  
  
Today, however, he wasn't exactly in the mood for anything. He'd already death-glared the fangirls off, cocked an eyebrow at Hiei and waved at him instead of saying hello to the demon, who stood often in the tree to watch his friends in school, brushed by Yusuke, Keiko, Botan, and Kuwabara with a simple 'Good morning', and went straight to his locker, avoiding any conversations between himself and any teachers or someone who needed help with their homework. He didn't feel all too sociable today. He was tired, irritable, and confused. He didn't want to talk or be talked to.  
  
Unfortunately, there was one entity that would not allow his ignorance toward her presence. His friend, Asa Ichazuki, was a few years younger than he---but she was even more patient, which was surprising.  
  
She saw him from across the hall when he reached his locker, and knew from Botan and Keiko, who were both friends of hers as well, that he wasn't being the brightest optimist in the world, and also knew that she was going to help him. Her baby blue eyes brightened at the prospect, for it had long since been known, by the two girls and Yusuke, at least, that she was rather..._fond_ of Kurama. Of course, she didn't know his 'secret', nor did she know that of Yusuke and the others. But the bright girl, they all knew, would probably figure it out shortly---there was no hiding _anything_ from _her_.  
  
As she made her way across the hall to him, while he crouched to fumble around in the bottom of his locker, trying to arrange things so he could easily reach something he was obviously looking for, she caught a few glares from the fangirls, and rolled her eyes. Finally, she skipped up to his shoulder, and tapped it lightly. She would _not_ be ignored, he already knew that, when he turned his eyes up to meet hers. Her raven wing hair was pulled into a pony tail at the nape of her neck, except for a few shorter strands by her face that were off to the right side, hanging against her pale skin like a frame for a picture. He smiled lightly, though grimaced on the inside.  
  
"Good morning, Asa," he said, trying to hide the contempt in his voice. He knew as well as she did that her resolve was like a mountain--- it would take one very powerful stick of dynamite to blow it up. And she'd obviously resolved to talk to him, despite his wants not to speak with anyone. "How are you?" he asked, trying to push this conversation along quicker than need be.  
  
"Fine, but that's besides the point. What's wrong, Shuuichi-kun?" she asked, brow furrowing in concern.  
  
"Nothing," he lied, closing his locker with more force than was necessary. The slam made the din in the hallway quiet for a moment, while everyone glanced at Kurama like he was insane, but then the fray started back up, and morning routines were continued. Asa, however, was unmoved by Kurama's display, and merely cocked an eyebrow at him, tilting her head to the side slightly, as if to say, "Are you quite finished?" He glared at that look; she made him feel like he was a young child who'd just thrown a tantrum.  
  
"Okay," she sighed, "So you're not going to tell me what's wrong. Let me deduce it for myself..." Kurama nearly groaned---_nearly_. If it weren't for Asa's lack of spirit energy, and Yusuke's already taking the position, Kurama would have elected Asa herself for Spirit Detective. That was how good her skills were at solving riddles, riddles like him. She watched as he stood, towering over her by a good head and a half, but was unfazed by it, as she observed him closely. "Well, you're carrying some baggage under your eyes, and you're irritable...you've obviously had a lack of sleep. Maybe due to something traumatic, like...nightmares? Dreams of something that happened a long time ago that you don't want to remember...?"  
  
His wince told her she'd hit the nail on the head. Her lips curled upward in a small smile of knowing and she simply nodded once, "Ah, I see."  
  
"It's nothing, really, Asa...please just drop it," he asked, emerald eyes pleading with her. Her smile faded slowly, and again, he found himself almost groaning, this time in annoyance with himself for the look of worry that was on her face and in her eyes. He hated making her worry. For some reason, the look of sadness that went with her concern made him cringe on the inside. It didn't suit her, that look. Happiness suited her, a lot better.  
  
"Fine," she mumbled, though he knew from her tone, and from experience, that he'd be telling her _something_ about the dreams leaving him restless and cranky shortly. He gave her a small, grateful smile, and offered her his arm.  
  
At her questioning glance, he explained, "Can't have the only friend whose head I haven't bitten off yet walking to class herself, can I?" She smiled and shook her head in agreement, taking his arm and allowing him to lead her away.  
  
From down the hall, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan, and Keiko all watched the scene with something close to amusement. "Why is it she _always_ knows how to cheer him up?" Yusuke asked, his tone suggesting he already knew the answer. Although he claimed the relationship to be almost sibling-esque, any one of his friends could see that Asa's crush wasn't one-sided...exactly. Kurama was just too _thick_ to realize it himself, and _that_, coming from Yusuke, was saying something.  
  
Yusuke glanced sidelong out the window, quirking an eyebrow as if to ask if Hiei agreed. The demon, who saw the glance and heard the mental question, fled away in a blur, annoyed that Yusuke had spotted him. But a simple, _Hn_, could almost be heard in his wake. _It seems Hiei agrees_, Yusuke thought with a smirk.  
  
A tug on his hand distracted his attention, and he turned to Keiko with a snap, "_What_?!"  
  
"Don't you talk to me like that, Yusuke Urameshi! It's time for class!" Keiko scolded, grabbing onto his ear and pulling him so hard he flew practically the whole way down the hall with his legs flailing about behind him. Kuwabara chuckled, only to turn and see Botan glaring at him evenly, as if to say, "What're _you_ laughing at? You need to get going, too." His laughter turned into a wince and a whelp, and he hurried down the hall toward his own class, Botan following calmly behind him, her arms folded behind her head. When she joined them in class, Keiko commented quietly to Yusuke, "Botan's been spending too much time around you..."  
  
- - -   
  
Hiei always, at Kurama's request, kept a close eye on Asa during classes, since she was in the freshman classes, while Kurama in Junior, and the others in the sophomore class. ((a/n: Are they really? I ain't sure. Just bear with me, peeplz.)) He figured that, since his mother had already been endangered once during the Dark Tournament, Asa, being one of the human friends of the gang, could be in danger---and was also the only one not protected, seeing as Keiko, Shizuru, and Shiori were both either with the detectives or closely watched by other agents from Koenma's office. So, Hiei was often finding himself lounging in a tree outside of the classroom window of one of young Asa's classes, wondering how any _onna_ could deal with such nonsense for seven hours every weekday.  
  
Today, being a Friday, he found himself watching the young girl, who reminded him of Yukina, in a way, calmly making a sculpture in her art class. He couldn't help but admire her work---the clay fox that she was making reminded him a _lot_ of Kurama's fox form, which was both amusing, and astounding, because no one quite knew the difficulty of the task of getting each and every line in the sly, hard-to-catch fox; the difficulty deriving from the speed of said sly, hard-to-catch fox. ((a/n: In other words, thanks to my stupid, over verbose brain, he was too fast to actually get a good mental picture of...))  
  
The statuette of the fox was gathered up, as if ready to leap, his tail spread out behind him, his feet set close together and his legs bent so that he was hunched closely to the ground. As she added more shape to the eyes, Hiei almost chuckled---_almost_. The sly, characteristic smirk that hid in those eyes was perfected by Asa's hand---it was as if Youko Kurama actually lived in that little statue. Asa, though hardly talented at much else, was a very good artist. She loved drawing, and she loved making sculptures.  
  
It was soon discovered shortly after they had all met and befriended Asa, that she wasn't very good at...much. Her body wasn't made for running, so she was the slowest student in her class, her short stature made her very vulnerable when it came to jumping or climbing something that was really tall, her somewhat frail form just couldn't handle too much physical exertion, and she was almost constantly ill. She wasn't good at music---the girl could sing, yes, but she was too shy to do it in public. She could probably grow a garden if she wanted, but since that was more Kurama's thing, she didn't bother trying. But art, art was hers. All hers. She could express herself freely when given a piece of paper or a wad of clay. And she did.  
  
So, while he watched his young friend (not that he'd admit that she was a friend), he raised an eyebrow, his Jigan eye checking on the others quite discreetly. Asa knew about him not going to school, and figured that he was too old or something, anyway. He certainly _acted_ old, she'd commented, snickering. He'd merely offered an annoyed, "Hn."  
  
She must have felt someone watching her, for she paused, and he could sense her tension as she looked around the classroom, but met no eyes. _Hn, gomen, Asa-chan...I suppose I shouldn't watch you as closely as the fox asks..._ he thought with the touch of a smirk. Obviously unsettled, though satisfied she'd caught no eyes in her classroom, she returned to her work, studying the fox as if considering something. She sighed heavily, and waved her teacher over. Hiei raised an eyebrow, as she spoke to her teacher, words he couldn't hear for the soundproof glass separating him from the classroom. She gestured at the fox, and the teacher leaned close to it, eyes widening slightly at the work before her.  
  
After a few seconds, during which Hiei could tell Asa was chewing the corner of her lip, her teacher stood up, and nodded her head, smiling in approval. Asa breathed a sigh of relief. _No wonder the fox admires her so_, Hiei mused. _It seems she _idolizes _him...or, at least, she idolizes Youko...  
_  
Asa took her artwork to a shelf to let it dry, and the final bell rang in the school, causing a stream of '_ningens_' to rush out of the classroom. Hiei stood, arms crossed over his chest, and disappeared in a blur to meet the others at the door when they exited the school. Yusuke and Kuwabara, unsurprisingly, were the first two outside, and Yusuke was the first to spot Hiei, who was leaning against the wall of the building. "Hey, Hiei, what's up?"  
  
"Definitely not _him_; he's too short to be anything but _down_," Kuwabara commented lamely.  
  
"If you want to meet the ground, _baka_, you'll continue talking," Hiei growled, narrowing his eyes at the teenager, then looking to Yusuke, "How can you stand to surround yourself with stupidity, detective?"  
  
Yusuke shrugged, as Kuwabara opened his mouth to say something, but Keiko and Botan rushed out of the building, causing him to turn his attentions to the two of them. "Hey, you two!" he said, almost too kindly.  
  
Hiei and Yusuke exchanged a glance, and rolled their eyes in unison. No matter who the girl or what the location, even in the midst of her boyfriend, Kuwabara would flirt shamelessly with her, just so long as she had a pretty face. Yusuke immediately strung an arm around Keiko's shoulders, signaling a sort-of territorial boundary. Kuwabara gaped at him annoyedly, and turned to Botan with bright eyes.  
  
"So, Botan..." He was already taking off with rambling, and Botan sighed ((mushroom sigh!!)) heavily, a sweat drop appearing on the back of her head as she eyed the tall boy wearily.  
  
Kurama was the next to join the group, with a simple wave and a small smile. It didn't go unnoticed that, since his talk with Asa that morning, he was in a better mood. At _least_ he was smiling again, and actually spoke to them, "Hey, everyone...where's Asa?"  
  
_Of _course _you'd ask about the ningen_, Hiei commented mentally to Kurama, causing the emerald eyes to meet the blood red ones, only slightly narrowed with annoyance. _Don't worry about the onna, she's on her way.  
_  
Almost as if on cue, Asa came bounding from the building, carrying an armful of books, and was looking at one of them so diligently that she walked _right_ into Kurama's back.  
  
An "_Oomph_!" was heard as Asa started to fall backwards, but Kurama, being the sly fox that he is ((wink wink)) spun around, grabbing her wrist, to hold her on her feet. She did, however, have to sacrifice her books to the fall that would have been hers. She was blushing crimson from her stupidity, and stammered, "_S-sumimasen_, Shuuichi-kun..." She kneeled down immediately to gather up all her books again, and the entire group eyed her in slight amusement, until Kurama, being the _gentleman_ that he _also_ is, stooped down as well to help her.  
  
"In a hurry, Asa-chan?" Yusuke finally commented, when she and Kurama stood up again, Kurama carrying a few of her books under his arm. She turned to look at her friend, a lock of raven wing hair falling down into her eyes that she kept trying to blow out of her face as she balanced her books in her arms, and her eyes narrowed slightly at him.  
  
"A little bit of one, yes. I have to hurry up and get home so I can, a) get all this crapload of work done, b) hurry up and help Ota-kun with house chores, c) get back here and turn in four reports to my after-school teachers, _and_ d) finish my sculpture! Argh," she said, hanging her head low as she started to follow the others, who started walking, still eyeing her in amusement.  
  
"Ah, cheer up, Asa-chan!" Botan said, patting her a little roughly on the back. Asa's eyes widened, and she almost fell over again, but caught her footing, and shot Botan a look, only to see the deity with her eyes closed, and a silly grin on her face---obviously she really had spent too much time around Yusuke, for her bat was swung behind her head, and her hands held it at each end. _Wait...a bat?_ Asa wondered, _Where'd _that _come from?  
_  
Just as she was about to open up her mouth to ask Botan that very question, Hiei spoke, "Asa-chan, you'd better take the shortcut home if you're planning on doing all that tonight." His tone was cold, as usual, but when she looked at him, he offered her a small, brotherly smile. Her eyebrow rose slowly, but he glanced away just as quickly, eyeing the forest across the street.  
  
Catching his glance at the woods and noting his sudden tense poise, Kurama agreed, "Yes, Asa-chan. Please, take the shortcut so you do not have to rush. And if you need any help with your math, you can call later."  
  
Asa grinned at him, "How do you _always_ know what subject I'm having trouble in?" She didn't notice Kurama exchange a glance with Hiei, who immediately stopped and looked again across the street at the park, but shook her head, and said, "Okay, then, I'll see you guys later." She skipped off, her pile of books swaying to and fro in her arms, toward home.  
  
"What was _that_ all about, you two?" Kuwabara asked stupidly.  
  
"Duh, _baka_, you didn't sense the demon over that way?" Yusuke grumbled under his breath, so as not to attract any more attention from the other students walking home. He stared at them all like they were nuts, since he, the Great Kazuma Kuwabara, hadn't sensed a _thing_, until Botan grabbed his arm and hauled him after the others, who'd started to go toward the woods. ((A/N: remember the books of Asa's that Kurama was carrying...? Remember that he _didn't_ give them back...? Pay attention, younguns.))  
  
Wouldn't Koenma be surprised when he found out they took out a demon all by themselves? Botan thought in amusement.  
  
- - - - -  
  
I got a review, I got a review!  
  
Thank you, Kei-san! I finished this chapter in a rush just for you ! Yay, even though I only got one review, I didn't get a flame yet! Oh, poo, no smores...  
  
Hiei- ... Must you be such a baka?  
  
But of course!  
  
Kurama- ...Well, at least she's candid.

Oh, right, and before I go. A quick few lessons in Japanese (by the way, I italicized all Japanese words...so they'd be easier to catch when I did this).

_Onna_- girl  
_Gomen_- sorry  
_Ningen_- human  
_Baka-_ idiot, stupid...  
_Sumimasen-_ excuse me  
_Ota-kun_- a nickname, meaning 'daddy' or 'dad' something paternal

'Chan' means 'little' but is usually used for girls as a proper name, and 'kun' is used for proper names for boys...'dono' may be in here a few times, that's like when you say Mr. or Ms. Just a clarification, so's people like my brother don't go asking 'what's THIS mean??', because I know it's confusing...


	3. Chapter Two Worry

Chapter Two-  
  
"Okay, _that_ was a complete waste of time," Yusuke commented, watching Hiei clean his katana with a white cloth pulled from his pocket. ((After all, we _all_ know how unsanitary it is to _lick_ his sword...remember?)) They'd found the somewhat annoying demon, after about two hours of hide-and-seek, and Hiei had quickly 'disposed' of him. And, as usual, Yusuke could do nothing but complain, "We would have been better off doing _homework_!"  
  
"You think so?" Keiko grinned, and Yusuke cocked an eyebrow at her. "Good, because that's _exactly_ what you're going to do..." She grabbed his ear before he had the chance to run off, and he yelped as she dragged him off to the park bench where they'd left their books for the game of cat-and- mouse.  
  
Kurama and Kuwabara watched them, chuckling in amusement, and Hiei's eyes surprisingly shone the same amusement, until, finally, Botan commented, "Didn't one of you say before that she was the _only_ one he'd ever lose a fight against? Can't say I disagree..." Kuwabara said his goodbyes then, running after Keiko and Yusuke.

Silence fell over the remaining three, until Botan looked at her watch, and Hiei turned to her, knowing what she was thinking. "Hadn't you better get back to Koenma?" he asked her, narrowing one eye. She blushed lightly, and nodded.  
  
"I suppose so...see you two later!" she exclaimed, her oar appearing in her hands as she flew off. Kurama glanced at Hiei, taking note that his eyes didn't leave the pink-eyed deity until she was out of sight. He smiled lightly, and Hiei glared at him.  
  
_What're _you _smirking about, Fox?_  
  
"You," Kurama answered aloud. "When are you going to tell her...?" He was cut off by the 'utter one more word and I'll stab you dead' glare he was getting from Hiei, and shook his head, chuckling.  
  
"Fox..." Hiei's voice was amused as he walked over to the bench and glimpsed over some of the books that Kurama had brought with him. Kurama raised an eyebrow, and joined him, looking at one of the books and commenting, "I didn't know you were studying history of art..."  
  
"..._Asa_," Kurama groaned, remembering he hadn't given her back her books. "I'd better take them to her..."  
  
"You do that," Hiei smirked. Kurama scooped up the books, and walked swiftly, though still calmly, away from Hiei, who rolled his eyes and disappeared. Asa's house wasn't far from his, so he could stop there on his way home. He glanced around, sensing something amiss, but figured it was just nerves from the demon chase they'd just been on, and shrugged it off.  
  
Asa's house came into view, a big white house with blue shutters and a wrap-around veranda that sat amidst a group of sakura blossom trees on the corner of his street. He lived on the opposite side of the street, and most thankfully, too- it was how they'd met.  
  
His mind wandered into the distant memory with an amused smile on his face as he walked the familiar path to her home.  
  
- - Flashback - -  
  
It was right before they'd known that his mother was ill and he'd been proposed a partnership with Hiei. He'd been walking patiently to school, not really paying much attention to the all-too-familiar path he was so used to following. Apparently, she hadn't been paying attention either. There was a large stone wall surrounding the yard of the Ichazuki residence, and Asa wasn't too well known for checking around the corner before she hurried out of the gate. She hadn't this day, either---and she'd crashed headfirst with Kurama.  
  
Which wouldn't have been so bad _if_ she hadn't been carrying an armload of books---as she always seemed to be doing, he hadn't been carrying his own set of books that was a _lot_ slimmer than hers, they both hadn't been a bit late, and either of them had remembered to watch where their heads hit each other's, then the ground.  
  
Unfortunately, she _was_ carrying an armload of books, he _had_ been carrying a few of his own, they both _were_ running a little late for school---her first day, having only just moved into town, and the first day his mother had shown some signs of illness--- and _neither_ of them remembered to watch where their heads hit the other's, then the ground. So two very loud groans were heard after several cracks and thuds.  
  
"Crap...I'm sorry," Asa had immediately started to apologize, swiftly gathering up and separating their books. "I _so_ wasn't paying attention...are you okay? If you're hurt, I can probably take you to my dad---he's a doctor, and---!"  
  
"Uh, no, that's quite all right. I think I'll manage," Kurama had answered her with a weak smile, his palm pressed against a sore spot on his head. She was rubbing a spot on hers, as well, and he chuckled, "And it was just as much my fault, I apologize."  
  
"Oh, no...that's okay...it was _mine_..." she mumbled, handing him his books, then actually looked up at him. His emerald eyes were alight with myrrh and friendliness, gifts that little if no one had offered her since her arrival in the city. "Um...yeah..." She trailed off, getting lost in those eyes for a moment, then blushed as he stood up and offered her a hand. Taking his hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet, she said in a cursory, "Uh, yeah, I'm Asa Ichazuki..."  
  
"Shuuichi Minamino," he said, smiling. They still hadn't released the other's hands, and both blushed at the same time, pulling away quickly. "Oh...you're hurt," he said, seeing a cut on her knee that was bleeding pretty badly.  
  
She looked down at her knee, still blushing. "Yeah, um...I'll manage." She glanced at her watch, and her eyes grew wide. "Holy crap! I'm _late_! Uh, it was nice to meet you, Minamino-kun-!"  
  
"Just call me Shuuichi," he said with a smile.  
  
"Right...Shuuichi," she was aware that she had blushed again, "Well, I'd better go." She turned and stooped to pick up the remainder of her books, then half-skipped, half-limped off in the other direction, waving at him over her shoulder, "I'll see you later, maybe!"  
  
Kurama smiled after her distantly, watching her until he could see her small form no longer, than muttered, "I should really hope so..."  
  
- - End Flashback - -  
  
Kurama's reaching the stone wall ended his thoughts. He almost chuckled at the memory, but instead opened the black metal gate that led into the yard, and walked up the stairs onto the veranda, facing the front door. He took a breath, and reached up to press the doorbell. _Moonlight Sonata_ could be heard ringing in the chimes that were connected to the doorbell. Kurama smiled. The _Moonlight Sonata_ was Asa's favorite song, ever, so her father had it put into the doorbell.  
  
Her father, Jeri Ichazuki, answered the door, his black hair peppered with gray, but his blue eyes worried behind his rimless glasses. "Oh, Shuuichi...hello," he said, his concern still in his eyes. Kurama immediately frowned as he saw Jeri look over his shoulder, somewhat expectantly, and sigh in disappointment. "Shuuichi, have you seen Asa?"  
  
"She didn't come home?" Kurama asked, slightly alarmed.  
  
"No, I figured she was with you," Jeri answered.  
  
"No, she wasn't...I sent her home right after school, because I had...something to do," he said quickly. The books of his and Asa's were immediately forgotten in his arms, and he settled them on a wicker chair beside the door. Jeri's face became somewhat distressed.  
  
"I've called Umi, but she hasn't seen her, either. I'm starting to get worried."  
  
"May I use your phone?" Kurama asked, brow furrowing. Jeri nodded, and gestured him inside. He already knew where he was going, and hurriedly went to the phone in the hall, dialing up Yusuke at Keiko's house.  
  
"Hello, Keiko speaking."  
  
"Keiko, it's K---_Shuuichi_," Kurama corrected himself, glancing at Jeri nervously. "Is Yusuke there?"  
  
"Yeah, hold on a second, Kurama," Keiko said, understandingly. A short pause, then the detective grunted on the other end, "Yeah, Kurama?"  
  
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Kurama spoke, "But Asa's not at home."  
  
"Asa...you're at Asa's place? Ooh, Kurama---!"  
  
"Yusuke, she's _missing_!" Kurama interrupted him and his sordid thoughts, his brow furrowing and his face drawing into a scowl, which was rare for him. "Her father has just told me she hadn't even come home from school, and you _remember_ that we sent her home, right?"  
  
"You don't think something's happened, do you?" Yusuke asked, suddenly worried.  
  
"I'm not sure...can you...?" His voice trailed off, since he was trying to keep their secret hidden from Jeri, but Yusuke understood.  
  
"I'll find Kuwabara and Hiei and get right over to Koenma's to arrange a search party myself, if I have to, Kurama. Don't worry...we'll find her."  
  
"Thank you, Yusuke." Kurama hung up, and turned to Jeri, "I'm sorry, Ichazuki-dono, I've got to leave."  
  
"I understand. Just...be careful, Shuuichi, and...I trust you'll find her. I'll wait until sundown before I call the police." Kurama looked surprised, but at Jeri's smile, he understood. Somehow, Jeri had found out _something_. "I know what you're thinking---and I'm not sure what's going on, but you and that Hiei character...you both aren't much like normal boys your age. That's why I trust you. With _whatever_ it is that you do." He nodded at Kurama, who smiled in reply, then left.  
  
-  
  
Yusuke, Hiei, Botan, Keiko, Kuwabara, and Shizuru met Kurama in front of the school, since it was the last place Asa had been seen. He had arrived quickly, but was surprised when they were all there before him.  
  
"Hey, man," Kuwabara waved at him, as they all looked down the road they'd seen Asa run that afternoon. "Glad _you're_ here...maybe you can tell us what's going on. Not even Shorty knows."  
  
"What? Hiei, what is he talking about?" Kurama asked, turning to Hiei.  
  
"Hn...we found one of the _onna's_ hair ribbons---amongst all of her books. They were strewn over in the clearing between the trees there," Hiei said, pointing at a small grove of trees alongside the road.  
  
"But you didn't find Asa?" Kurama asked, his alarm resounding in his voice. Yusuke shook his head sadly.  
  
"No...we didn't...but like I said, we _will_," he promised, determination in his eyes. Kurama nodded, holding his breath for a moment, then went to inspect the clearing himself. His eyes darted through the trees, and narrowed when Hiei joined him, then Yusuke. Kuwabara stayed on the sidewalk with the girls.  
  
"What're you looking for, Kurama?" Yusuke asked curiously, raising an eyebrow, "Hiei's already been over this place..."  
  
"I'm just looking for some sort of calling card..." Kurama explained, then noticed something a little further away than where they'd found the books and ribbon. He walked toward it, kneeling down slowly, and said in a soft, scared tone, "Hiei..."  
  
The Jiganshi appeared beside him in the blink of an eye, and also kneeled down, looking at the markings on the ground, scratched deep into the earth with something strong---a talon or tooth, perhaps.  
  
There was a name written in Japanese Kanji; it said Sakai. There was only one Sakai either of them knew; he was a demon. _This_ was the calling card Kurama had been looking for. They both stood up slowly, turning to an expectant Yusuke. "All right, who's Sakai and what do you two know about him?"  
  
"He's a Shadow Master; one of the highest classes of demon," Kurama supplied calmly, though Hiei could see the fists that were clenched at his sides trembling. "Supposedly, he disappeared some time ago. But no one's sure. If _he's_ taken Asa, there is little hope."  
  
"But, there _is_ hope," Yusuke answered, surprising both Hiei and Kurama. They turned to look at him as he leaned against a tree, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting one finger to rub the side of his nose ((have you ever seen anime guys do that; like Joey from Yu-Gi-Oh in the episode when Kaiba and Mokuba were reunited after Pegasus' tournament? I always thought it was hilarious!)) and continue, "We'll just have to go ask the toddler to get us any information on Sakai's whereabouts in the demon world...we'll go get her. And now that we've got a few pissed off demons, a _really_ pissed off teenager, and...well, Kuwabara...I highly doubt _any_ Shadow Master will be able to keep her."  
  
"I'm glad _you're_ so confident," Kurama commented, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Hn. The detective's right, Fox. We can defeat Sakai...I'll just unleash my dark dragon on him...the bastard," Hiei said quietly, rage in his blood red eyes.  
  
They were trying to raise his spirits. He knew this. And they were also both _highly_ upset that someone would take away Asa, such a young, innocent girl who didn't even know about them being spirit detectives...  
  
Kurama cursed himself for not telling her. There were so many things he should have told her. Maybe she would have been more careful. Maybe she wouldn't have let herself get caught...maybe...  
  
Shaking the thought away visibly, he looked at Yusuke, "Let's go."  
  
- - - - -  
  
...Man. I'm a real butthead. At least, to my characters. And this is really...crappy. I should have come up with a somewhat more unique story line. How many times has it been- 'boy meets girl' 'girl gets kidnapped' so on and so forth? Sheesh. Well. Whatever, I'll live. The future plot's a lot better, anyway.  
  
Oh, hey, guys, we've got another review!!  
  
Hiei- Is that so? What's it say?  
  
Only that Youko Kurama is a sexy beast...can't say I disagree much.  
  
Kurama- ((blushing)) Uh...  
  
Oh, don't worry, Shuuichi, you're a sexy beast, too! ((pinches his cheek playfully))  
  
Hiei- Hn..._ningens_.  
  
Kuwabara- Aww, Kurama's got fangirls! Why don't _I_ have fangirls?  
  
Yusuke- Have you looked in the mirror lately?  
  
Boys, boys! Calm down, peeps! Kuwabara...um...((sad attempt at lying face))...I'm sure you have fangirls...out there..._somewhere_...and one day, they'll find you and hunt you down like ravenous wolves...it's just that Kurama's are more..._common._ Because he's so pretty.   
  
Kurama- ...Pretty? I'm pretty?  
  
Yeah, you're pretty! What, it's not like being 'pretty' is a girl thing. Why do you think some guys are called 'pretty boys'??  
  
Kurama- ...  
  
Anyway, yay. Melanie-chan, you made my day! Here's your next chappie, all wrapped up in some pretty colored paper! ((pops a bow on it)) See, it's even got a bow! Awesome, ain't it? Hehehe.  
  
Over and out!  
  
-Meka-chan


	4. Chapter Three Creeps and Creepy

Chapter Three-  
  
Onyx was the stone that was used to build the dark lord's castle. It was huge; a labyrinth of halls and dungeons and quarters, and what was really gorgeous about it was that it gleamed as beautifully in the moonlight as it sparkled in the sun. It was in the center of a thick patch of forest in Makai. And it suited his needs dutifully. To be hidden from public view, but in a place open enough where he could run in his full demon form and hunt. Close enough to a village that supplies were easy to retrieve, yet far enough so that if the demons in the village came looking for him, they would give up before they got within ten miles.  
  
This was why Sakai had chosen this castle. But it oddly reflected his personality, as well, and the home and master were a perfect blend of dark and cold. Then there were the basement's dungeons, which were possibly the coldest of them all, and a bunch of Sakai's more civil servants were gathered at the top of the staircase that led down to the basement, glancing at each other worriedly as the screams and dull pounds could be heard echoing up from one of the dungeons.  
  
The master had brought back with him a young girl, that he claimed had Youko Kurama's scent on her. He'd assumed she was Youko's mate, and Sakai had sent one of his underlings to go entertain the demon and his little friends while he stole the girl away. They hadn't been able to guess why. Upon his return home he'd taken her down to the basement, and hadn't returned since. It had been several hours, yet still, the servants could hear cries of pain.  
  
They weren't sure whether he was _beating_ the child or raping her. Although rape wasn't really Sakai's style, he was so unpredictable that his resolve wasn't easy to figure out, and he _had_ been petting the girl quite fondly, calling her a 'rare treasure'. They prayed he was only beating her.  
  
Finally, the cries stopped, and the servants looked at each other, scattering quickly to return to their posts as they heard a dungeon door open, then close again. He hadn't raped her, they assumed---he hadn't given himself much time to clean up if he had. And Sakai _only_ cleaned up if he assaulted a girl _that_ way.  
  
Sakai came up the stairs, covered in blood. He was currently inhaling the sweet scent of the blood of Youko's young wildflower. She was _truly_ a treat. With every blow he'd laid on her, more blood had flowed from a wound he'd inflicted before. It just made him keep going. The demon in him would not allow him to simply leave her alone. Now, he feared he may have killed her. She'd been strong; stronger than most human girls. But finally, she'd fallen still. As he thought about it, he called out, "Akira!"  
  
At his request, a short female demon with light bluish-green eyes and light blue hair pulled into two separate buns on each side of her head, and wearing a black cape and kimono with blood red roses decorating the sash and collar, came bounding from her chores to him. "Yes, my Lord?" she asked quietly, a shy young demon with the ability to manipulate the mind.  
  
"There will be people coming for our guest...make sure they do not get to her. And while you're at it, watch over her for me, but do not heal her! Just make sure she lives long enough for Yusuke Urameshi to see her die," Sakai commanded. Akira nodded, bowing low to her master.  
  
"I'll send Kasu and Natsu to meet them, and I'll tend to her straight away, my Lord," she said obediently. He smirked at her, laying a bloody hand on her head for a moment, and she tried to cringe and shrink away, waiting patiently until he drew his hand away and walked past her, to go about his business. She waited until he'd rounded the corner---and flew down the stairs, into the dungeon which she knew Asa was in.  
  
The girl lay on the floor, huddled in the back corner. As Akira drew near, she saw that Asa was unconscious, and lying in a puddle of her own blood. The servants had assumed correctly---although brutally beaten, she had not been molested; her clothes were still in place, though tattered and bloodstained. Akira allowed herself to heave a sigh of pure relief, and went to the child's side. Though she appeared young, the apparition was almost three hundred years old, and had been with Sakai since birth. She knew quite well how cruel he was, but wasn't strong enough to actually put her foot down and do something about it---and he was too stubborn to actually listen to any pleads she made to him to give mercy.  
  
Asa recoiled when Akira laid a hand on her arm, and the blue-haired girl frowned, knowing the reason. Her arm was broken, shattered, it appeared. She assessed the other injuries inflicted upon the young girl with a sweep over of her eyes. Cuts, bruises, enough to bring pain to the dead, maybe a fracture here or there, _definitely_ a couple cracked ribs, her broken arm, of course, and it looked like she'd twisted her ankle, for it hung as if pained over her other. Blood was running in rivulets down a deep gash on her forehead, and although Akira was no doctor, she knew that the gash would require stitches, if Sakai were to allow anyone to do it.  
  
"You poor child..." Akira breathed, taking off her cape to cover the girl with it, offering the only comfort she knew how. Sakai had ordered her to keep the girl alive long enough for his enemies to watch her suffer and die. How could she do that? The girl was barely alive as it was.  
  
Something sparked in Akira's eyes, and she stood slowly, not bothering to remove her cape from covering the poor, quivering child that lay bleeding and knocked out on the floor. She would live, yes. Akira was sure of that. From what she'd seen of Sakai's victims after he'd destroyed them, very few survived long enough to be checked on. _This_ girl had survived, despite being young and looking quite frail, almost like a twig that could be broken with just the right amount of pressure applied. Indeed, she would live.  
  
But what would she do about Kasumi and Natsumi, the twin demons that she was about to send after Yusuke Urameshi, Hiei Jiganshi, Youko Kurama, and Kazuma Kuwabara? She certainly wouldn't want them _dead_ if she wanted them to save this girl. Startled, she realized that it was her intent to do just that; save Asa. Why? Because she was sick of cleaning up after Sakai, finding all the poor, hopeless-looking creatures that he left in his wake of violence. Because she hated him; he'd murdered her human grandmother, and stolen her mother from her home, just as he had many of his other slaves. Because this girl was pure, and innocent---a wildflower blooming within an angel. And Akira would _not_ let her die.  
  
She went to fetch Natsumi and Kasumi quickly.  
  
The twin demons, one a water demon, one an earth demon, were in their usual spot, in the courtyard that rested at the center of Sakai's domain. Natsumi, the water demon, wore a baby blue kimono with a white sash and a white ribbon holding her dark brown hair up in a pony tail. Green and pink flowers decorated the sash, and sleeves of the kimono she wore. One green eye and one blue eye watched her twin sister from where she sat on the edge of the fountain that was in the courtyard.  
  
Her sister, Kasumi, had the same dark brown hair, and one green eye, but her other was brown. _She_ wore a dark green kimono with a jade sash and ribbon that held her longer hair in a braid, which went down her back. There were only a few differences between the otherwise identical twins; Natsumi's hair was shorter, their right eyes were both different colors, Kasumi had a scar on her cheek in the shape of a star, and each had their own weapon---Natsumi carried a katana on her back and two razor-sharp fans tucked into her belt, while Kasumi had a staff strapped to her back, with a dagger tied to her ankle.  
  
The twins both looked at the doorway leading from the courtyard when Akira cleared her throat, acknowledging her presence. "Kasu, Natsu," she spoke clearly, her aquamarine eyes lighting up, "Lord Sakai requests that you provide entertainment for some guests that are to arrive shortly. They are led by the Spirit Detective, and Youko Kurama as well as Hiei Jiganshi are among them."  
  
Natsumi and Kasumi exchanged a glance, and nodded in unison. "We will go," Natsumi said.  
  
"But there is something else you wish for us to do," Kasumi finished. ((You know, I know a couple of twins who actually do that. It's creepy.))  
  
"_Hai_, you are correct," Akira nodded. She proceeded to tell them her plan, cautiously and in a voice no higher than a whisper, not knowing _who_ could be watching, or listening...  
  
-  
  
Ogres were running around the office so fast that they could have easily been sued for whiplash. Kurama was becoming impatient, while they--- 'they' being himself, Yusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, Botan, Keiko, Yukina, and Shizuru---waited for Koenma to tell them where Sakai the Shadow Master dwelled.  
  
At first, he'd taken them all for crazy. Said something like the Shadow Master Sakai had disappeared. He _had_ disappeared, yes. History took him with it when he won one of the very first Dark Tournaments. His prize had been the Onyx Castle that he'd cherished so deeply. But he'd disappeared shortly after he'd laid claim to the castle. At least, as records showed. The truth was, Koenma's team of trackers had simply stopped keeping an eye on him, and no one bothered to look for him, for the forest his onyx castle was in was like a huge maze, and they'd either give up or return and get lost in the forest, never to be seen again.  
  
Any good demon knew, as Hiei and Kurama both had, that Sakai was merely hiding. He had very little reason to get involved in human affairs, except to take the occasional innocent and do who-knows-what do them. Kurama almost bit his lip as he envisioned all the things a cold-hearted demon would do to someone as pure as Asa was. He berated himself silently. He couldn't allow himself to summon up a picture of her right now. It would distract him.  
  
Koenma was currently pacing on his desk, scattering papers all over the place, and Yusuke was clearly becoming as impatient as Kurama was. The detective was leaning against the wall, where Hiei was usually seen, with his arms crossed and his foot tapping, eyes darting around at every ogre that came into the room, then scowling at them as they left without a word about Asa. Hiei was leaning against the armchair that Botan sat in. Kurama noticed that he would glance at the deity and offer a somewhat comforting smirk every now and then, as Botan had been crying for quite some time, worried about the fate of their young friend.  
  
Yukina and Keiko were trying to be the optimists. Although worried, they were both assured that the boys would save Asa, hands down. No questions asked. Shizuru was currently occupied with sighing and staring at the ceiling, mumbling every now and then about how stupid her brother had been in merely letting a girl Asa's age to walk home alone. Kuwabara kept glowering at his sister for every comment that echoed from her mouth, then glancing meaningfully at Kurama, as if to apologize for his sister's pessimistic attitude.  
  
Kurama sighed, rather loudly, and turned to Koenma expectantly, quirking an eyebrow and ignoring the attention drawn his way by his action. Koenma merely shrugged his shoulders, "I'm _sorry_, Kurama, until someone brings me the information, I cannot tell you where in Makai to look for the girl! You all should have known not to let yourselves befriend an innocent, anyway! I was against Keiko and Shizuru knowing!"  
  
"But Asa doesn't _know_ anything," Yusuke growled. "She's just a kid. Why would _anyone_ wanna take her? It's stupid."  
  
"It may be stupid, Yusuke, but there's no need to take it out on _me_." Koenma turned sharply when a pale, dark-haired woman appeared through the wall. ((A/N: If you know the woman I'm talking about, do you know her name? I was clueless after I saw her right after the Dark Tournament ended. I kept thinking, "WHO THE BLOODY?!"))  
  
"Koenma, sir, we've found the location you requested," she spoke softly. Koenma nodded, and she handed him a sheet of paper, that looked suspiciously like a map.  
  
"Thank you..." he spoke, glancing at her meaningfully. She nodded, and left the way she came. He glanced over the paper, ignoring the intense stares he was getting from the others, and mumbling random things to himself that were unintelligible. Finally, he looked up, eyes landing on Kurama. "She's in Makai. Here," he said, holding out the paper toward the fox demon. He stood swiftly, and took it, looking down at it with narrowed eyes. "I imagine you'll need Botan to go with you, since she can fly over the forest. The girls can stay here until you get back, to keep them safe," he added, looking at Yukina, Keiko, and Shizuru meaningfully before they said anything to disagree, "Yukina, you'd better go to Genkai's and tell her to be expecting a visitor for awhile...I don't doubt that, if Sakai really does have this Asa Ichazuki, she'll be in quite a condition."  
  
"I'll go right away," Yukina said softly, standing and bowing to them. She exited to the door to the right, while Yusuke turned around to the door beside him, opening it for the others to file through.  
  
When they did, Koenma sighed, "Good luck, you all. And God speed."  
  
-  
  
The portal from Koenma's had sent them into a strange green forest, that had paths running through it, obviously a maze. Botan had her oar ready to fly over the forest and tell them which way to go, but Yusuke hesitated to let her go on her own.  
  
"Maybe someone should go with you...from what Koenma, Hiei, and Kurama said, this guy's not really someone to be trifled with."  
  
"Did you just say 'trifled'?" Botan asked, bewildered by the sudden vocabulary.  
  
"Yeah---that's a word, right?" ((A/N: I don't own the Drake and Josh show or whatever it's called. My sister loves it, though, and I was watching it with her (she thinks the one guy's cute) yesterday, and the guy she thinks is cute said that. It was really funny. So, sorry Nickelodeon, may I be forevermore humble!))  
  
"Um..."  
  
"Hiei can go with her," Kurama said, taking full advantage of this opportunity. Hiei and Botan both threw him strange looks, and he explained, "She'll be safest with him, anyway. We could send Kuwabara, but I'm afraid he'd probably try to woo her the whole time."  
  
"I'll go," Hiei said suddenly, eyeing Kuwabara suspiciously. Kurama held back his smile at the action.  
  
"Fine, then, you two get going," Yusuke said in approval. Botan climbed onto her oar, and Hiei begrudgingly sat behind her.  
  
"Hold on!" she warned, taking off at the speed of light. The three left on the ground could have sworn they heard Hiei yelling curses that would have moved the dead as he grabbed onto Botan's waist, but they let it slide.  
  
"Well, this is boring," Yusuke sighed, blinking lazily at the paths ahead of them. They were standing right in front of a three-way fork, and since they didn't know which way to go, they had little choice but to wait until Botan communicated with them through the 'compact-looking thing', as it had been nicknamed by Keiko.  
  
"I fear that this is just the calm before the storm...someone must be awaiting us. It wouldn't make sense for Sakai to simply think that we would leave Asa to die," Kurama commented.  
  
"You worry too much, Kurama!" Kuwabara cried suddenly, "I'm sure your little miss is just waiting for you to come and pick her up---knowing her, she's probably running the entire castle by now!"  
  
Kurama smiled gently in amusement, knowing that Kuwabara was trying to lighten the mood, and he was right about Asa---she wasn't one to be kidnapped and held without much of a fight, but no matter how much she would fight, he doubted she was strong enough to do all Kuwabara claimed. She was as frail as a piece of glass, and she always had been. It was why he worked so hard to protect her, because he knew that if _he_ didn't, not many others would. She didn't have many friends outside the Reikai Tantei, Keiko, Botan, Yukina, Shizuru, a girl in her class by the name of Umi, and her teachers. In fact, she had no other friends at all.  
  
Kurama was shaken from his silent contemplation by Botan's voice cutting through the communicator in Yusuke's hand, "Yusuke, guess what?!"  
  
"You've found a path?"  
  
"Bingo! We've found a path---that _doesn't_ lead to a dead end, surprisingly!"  
  
"Cool, which way?" Yusuke asked, cocking an eyebrow at the three roads ahead of him.  
  
"Take the path directly ahead of you," Botan commanded. Yusuke and Kurama exchanged a look, and nodded, running down the path specified by the blue-haired deity. Kuwabara was left in the rear, yelling after them about going a little slower.  
  
But Yusuke and Kurama both knew that they didn't have _time_ to go any slower. Every second they wasted could be a second closer to Asa's demise. They didn't know why Sakai had taken the girl, but when they found him, they would be sure to find out.  
  
- - - - -  
  
Whoa. I actually got this story to twenty-two pages long! Go me! Yay! ((does a little victory dance))  
  
Hiei- What are you _doing_, _onna_?!  
  
...Oh, you're still here, are ya? Too bad.  
  
Kurama- What do you have planned for the next chapter, Meka-chan?  
  
Wouldn't you like to know??  
  
Kurama- ((sad puppy dog face))

Okay, okay! Don't DO that! It's enough to make ME sad! And THAT, my friend, is saying something. Well, let's see...((looks down on her To-Do list)) ...mumble mumble...soul stealing...mumble mumble...Kurama kicking ass...mumble mumble... collaboration...what's THAT doing there...? ...Hm...well, it'll be interesting...heh, the twins...they crack me up...creepy...right...  
  
Kurama- That tells me NOTHING.  
  
...Your point?


	5. Chapter Four The Plan and Meka Going Psy...

Before I put up Chapter Four, let me just get this out in the open: I am so frustrated right now I could strangle someone and not even think twice about it. I've been attempting to find an anime pic of someone who seems to look like Asa, but no dice. Has anyone come up with any anime lookalikes of our OC heroine? If so, PLEASE let me know in a review or something. I am begging you! I sort of thought Tomoyo from CCS but with lighter colored blue eyes, but I'm SO FRAZZLED!! ((starts pulling out hair))

Kurama- ...Um...yeah, please help her...before she goes on a psycho rage thing...those aren't good.

Chapter Four-  
  
After about an hour of Botan's giving them directions as she and Hiei flew above their heads, the three came into a large clearing, and looked around. "Uh, Botan...this can't be it," Yusuke said, "I don't see squat."  
  
"What?! We see the castle, you're standing right in front of it! It's huge, how can you not see it?!"  
  
Again, Yusuke told her, "We do not see anything, Botan. Please tell me what is so hard to understand about that."  
  
"Maybe there's some sort of energy barrier guarding it from being seen. It would explain why Hiei and I see it..."  
  
"Maybe. Get down here."  
  
They looked up to see Botan, Hiei, and the oar circling above, gradually lowering as they did. As soon as Hiei was in jumping distance from the ground, he appeared beside Yusuke, his eyes slightly wide. "Never will I do that again," he said after the other three stared at him for a long moment. Botan landed with an audible 'oof', and pulled her oar up to stand it on the ground so she could lean on it.  
  
"Oh, now I see...well, don't see..." she said, looking at the invisible wall that separated them from the castle. "The barrier must only go so high..."  
  
Kurama felt a shudder run up his spine as he sensed two of the strongest spirit energies he'd felt since Toguro was alive. Two young women stepped out from the 'wall', causing a ripple of color to run through the air, which revealed a background of the castle behind them. The girls looked alike, one wearing green, the other blue.  
  
"Whoa, check out the hotties!" Kuwabara cried immediately. Hiei merely grunted, and tripped the boy as he started running forward toward them, a lecherous look on his face. Kuwabara ate dirt when he landed face- first on the ground, and lifted his head to spit out the foul stuff and glare threateningly at Hiei.  
  
"You are here for Master Sakai's new toy," they said in unison.  
  
Yusuke made a loud sound of the general feeling one gets when they're 'creeped out.' Then he grunted, "Sakai's toy?!"  
  
"Hai, the girl from the human world," the twins continued, still in unison.  
  
"Yes, we're here for Asa," Kurama said, something strange and unfamiliar in his voice. Hiei recognized it almost immediately- anger.  
  
"We are Natsumi and Kasumi Mizuchi," the one wearing blue said. ((A/N: Mizuchi is completely a made-up name derived from the Japanese words for water (mizu) and earth (chikyuu).)) Again in unison, they shifted into a battle stance.  
  
"And we are here to eliminate you," the one in the green finished.  
  
-  
  
Sakai had found that, despite the fact he'd left her nearly dead, he'd craved more of Asa; of her blood, of her soul. He'd tried to avoid it, but after Akira sent out the twins to dispose of the would-be heroes, he found himself sitting in a chair in Asa's dungeon, watching the form underneath Akira's cape as its sides rose and fell rhythmically, waiting for her to awaken so he could draw more blood from her. He'd washed the blood off of his skin from before, but alas, the scent was still there, driving him insane.  
  
Bloodlust is something no demon should have to fight against.  
  
So, when finally, Asa began to struggle to wake up, he grinned maliciously, licking his lips and suppressing a shudder, already able to taste the fresh blood with his anxiety. He knew now what he wanted. He wanted to taste her very essence, her soul. And he would. In due time.  
  
Asa's eyes slowly blinked open against her will. Every inch of her ached, and she was pretty sure she could remember why, if she wanted to. Problem was, she didn't want to remember that horrible creature that brought her to this cold place. When he was in his human form, he was tall and pale, his long black bangs fell into his face on each side, but the rest was pulled back, and his grey eyes were calm. But...he'd changed. Right before her eyes, he'd grown into a beast.  
  
A huge, black-furred thing that resembled a panther, a really, really big one, but still a panther. And it wasn't very pleasant for her, after that. She winced as she tried to turn over to observe her surroundings, and found she was covered by a thin cape. What the...? Whatever. She threw the cape away with one swift movement of her good arm---the right one seemed to be broken, and just simply lifting it sent an explosion of pain through it. Sitting up, she tried to shake her head clear, but a clawed hand touched her cheek, and she recoiled, looking up to see that he was there, and had already begun the same transformation that took him over before.  
  
"I see you are awake, my dear. That is good, that is good..."  
  
"D-don't call me 'dear'," she stammered, eyes ferocious with hatred as she backed away from him. He threw back his head and laughed, his face changing its shape as well.  
  
When he looked at her again, as she made her way into the corner, his eyes were a strange, glowing green. They didn't remind of her of Shuuichi's, though...because these were sinister. They were evil.  
  
"Fine, child, I will not call you dear...but you have something that I find rather intriguing...and I want it."  
  
"Nani?" she asked confusedly, brow furrowing. "What could I possibly have that you would want? I'm just a kid!" Her face was paling more than it already had, imagining what 'it' could be.  
  
"Your soul...it calls out to me..." he hissed, grabbing her by the back of the neck roughly, his human form quickly fading. His claws dug into the skin at the nape of her neck, and she winced. "You see, I am a Shadow Master...and I feed upon human souls." His voice, too, was becoming more beastlike, more wild. It made her shudder involuntarily. Her soul? He wanted her soul? What the hell kind of crap did this man do for a hobby, watch Night of the Living Dead like it was real or something?! Then again, he had changed into a monster; a feat, which she'd been sure since she was little, was practically impossible.  
  
"And when I want a soul," he continued, rousing her from her reverie, "I'll have it, no matter what." He laid his now pawlike hand over her face, claws running through her hair, and she squirmed, trying to get away, but couldn't move. She felt the energy draining from her body, a wave of pain went over her that was unlike any she'd ever felt. She knew then, what death felt like. The pain was overbearing, like a thousand swords striking her at once. And though there was a furry paw in her way, she opened her mouth.  
  
And screamed like she had never screamed before.  
  
-  
  
"Urameshi, I told you, I can't hit a girl!" Kuwabara watched as Yusuke cursed him, fending off Kasumi's attacks as she pushed forward with her staff.  
  
"There would be no need for you to hit a girl---you'd be dead before you raised your fist." The quiet voice behind him, he realized, was Natsumi's- but she was fighting Kurama to his right...how was she...holy crap, she was also fighting Hiei to his left!  
  
He turned sharply, getting hit by Natsumi, who was also behind him. What in the hell?! "I have the power to manipulate...I can make copies of myself," she explained as he hit the ground, then stepped on his chest, driving the butt of a fan from her belt into his long. He gasped in pain, summoning his Spirit Sword to throw her away from him, and watched her vanish as she hit a tree. Okay, not so bad. Copies can be killed easily.  
  
He turned onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow, and held his free arm to his chest, feeling an indent where she'd jammed the end of her fan. "That...was...painful..." he gasped. His eyes widened, "Crap, I hit a girl!"  
  
"Hn, baka, get yourself up off the ground," Hiei grunted as he leapt backwards past Kuwabara. "She was only the copy of a female; not the actual demon herself." The orange-haired boy scowled at the demon as he jumped away from the Other Natsumi---he wasn't sure if she was a copy or not.  
  
Yusuke dodged another blow from Kasumi's staff, and finally, announced, "Okay, now I'm pissed." He leapt back, landing on his feet and raising his pointer finger in his Spirit Gun stance. The wave of energy shot through Kasumi's staff, and hit her shoulder. She cried out as she landed just outside the invisible wall.  
  
"Kasu-chan!" Both Natsumi's cried out, the one Hiei was fighting vanishing and the one in front of Kurama turning to back flip until she reached her sister's side. She kneeled down, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder, and her eyes flashed in anger as they landed on Yusuke. "Detective, you should be wary of which enemies you hit with that attack. You may have defeated Toguro with it, but I doubt you'll be able to scratch Lord Sakai."  
  
"I thought you were here to make sure that I didn't get near his Lord and Master?" Yusuke sneered.  
  
"We were ordered by Lord Sakai to eliminate you, yes...but Lady Akira wishes to save the girl," Natsumi admitted.  
  
"What?!" Kuwabara, Botan, and Yusuke demanded in unison.  
  
Kasumi slowly rose to her knees, gritting her teeth to grunt in pain, "The Lady Akira...she's almost like our mother...and we would do anything she asked. She has a plan...but it requires us defeating you."  
  
"Here comes that 'why should we trust you' line, you know..." Kuwabara said suspiciously.  
  
"If you do not believe us, he will kill her," Natsumi stated, standing and helping her sister.  
  
"That's not fair," Botan exclaimed, "How do we know that he won't even if we do believe you?!"  
  
"You don't. But without us, you don't have much of a chance to get to her in time, do you?" Kasumi asked knowingly, holding her shoulder. They didn't answer, not a one of them. ((Did you notice that that's like, the ONLY time you can use 'a' instead of 'an' before a vowel? Weird...)) They knew that she was right.  
  
"What is it that you had in mind?" Kurama asked, furrowing his brow.  
  
"You are Youko Kurama, are you not?" Kasumi asked him. "Lord Sakai thinks that the girl belongs to you."  
  
"Wh-wh-what?!" Kurama sputtered. He didn't have time to come up with a more intelligent answer. A bloodcurdling, soul-piercing scream resounded from the depths of the castle, causing all those outside to turn to it with wide eyes, even Hiei.  
  
"That can't have been..." Yusuke's voice trailed off; he was afraid to finish his sentence.  
  
"It was," Kurama said, voice thick with emotion though his face was calm, "That was Asa...she's in trouble."  
  
"Then it has begun," Natsumi said, exchanging a long glance with Kasumi, "The master will devour a small part of her soul..."  
  
"Nani?!" Yusuke demanded, eyes widened.  
  
"Our lord is a Shadow Master...you know what they do already," Kasumi explained, looking at Hiei and Kurama, "He will not obtain her entire soul, he likes to take a little bit at a time...she is in no immediate danger yet...but..." Her voice trailed off, and Kuwabara could stand it no more.  
  
Turning to the twins, he asked, "What do you want us to do? What will save her?"  
  
No one protested, as the twins glanced at one another, and Natsumi explained, "You must pretend to be defeated by us, so that we might get you into the castle. From there, you will be questioned by Lady Akira...and she will give you further directions to get to the child."  
  
"Right then," Hiei said, surprising the others with his nod of consent, "Better make it believable, you two---I'm not to be beaten as easily as you would think..." Kurama cold only offer the fire demon an awestruck, grateful smile. Hiei grunted in reply with a half-hearted, "Hn." No one would have thought that he would allow himself to get beaten in order to save anyone...except maybe Yukina or Botan.  
  
Botan looked around, wondering aloud, "What about me?"  
  
"You were not expected," Kasumi stated with a nod of her head. "The master does not know you are here. You should wait outside, so you are not discovered, in case you are needed."  
  
"That's actually a good idea, Botan...if you need us, you can contact us through the communicator," Yusuke said. Botan nodded in agreement, and Yusuke nodded her toward the woods, "You'd better get going."  
  
"All right..." She turned to go, and faced Hiei, who was standing behind her. He gave her a small smirk of reassurance, and she grinned back at him, her anxiety ebbing. Then she took off to hide in the forest, leaving Hiei to ignore the strange look Kuwabara threw his way.  
  
"Well, let's get this over with..." Yusuke said, cracking his knuckles and narrowing his eyes as he turned to the twins. "I swear, if you two are lying to us...and if any harm comes to Asa, I'll have both your heads."  
  
"We understand..." All four of them stood still as Natsumi vanished from sight, and within the blink of an eye, had fallen to the ground, large bumps appearing on each of their heads. Natsumi appeared again beside her injured sister, and turned to the invisible wall, whispering to Kasumi, "I hope this works..."  
  
"As do I, sister. As do I."  
  
((The lack of actual action writing is not my fault. I SUCK at action writing...((sniffle sniff))...if it weren't for my dear friend Rose, and my new friend Kei, I would not have the strength to do this...at all...))  
  
-  
  
"Akira, they are in the dungeons," Natsumi reported to Akira in her room some time later. Kasumi was absent; she was getting her shoulder taken care of in Sakai's special medical room. Akira looked up from the book she'd been nervously writing in, her aquamarine eyes flickering with relief.  
  
"Thank you, Natsumi-chan...go now, attend to your sister," Akira ordered with an affirmative nod of her head. Natsumi bowed politely, and exited the room, and Akira stood, dusting herself off. She knew what Sakai had done. She knew he'd started feeding upon the child's soul. She knew he had been forced to retire to his room, something about the girl had made him ill. And she knew why. Asa was innocent, far too innocent for Sakai's wretched being to understand. Her purity made his evil soul retch. And he was physically ailed because of it.  
  
Akira moved easily through the castle, hoping that Sakai's illness would keep him from straying from his room. She already had Yuki and Kiera, two of the castle guards, keeping an eye on his room, and they were to report directly to her should he leave. That should be enough; she prayed it was. Sighing, with her hands folded in front of her, she turned into a different hallway that led to the room where the detectives were being held and attended to. They were on the other side of the castle, she noticed, because Sakai didn't want them anywhere near Asa...he was wise, but unfortunately for him, not wise enough.  
  
She pulled a ringlet of keys out of the folds of her cloak, and chose the right one as she reached the metal door that encased the four detectives within the solid room in front of her. Normally, she knew, the Jiganshi would have already broken out of his holding cell, but he would bide his time if he knew it would help them save the girl. She unlocked the door, and opened it, shutting it securely behind her, then turning to the boys, who, though slightly dazed, seemed all right.  
  
Hiei was leaning against the wall, and the only evidence of his being knocked out with a good bonk on the skull was the knot on his temple, that was bruised and bloodied slightly. His eyes were closed, his head inclined forward. Kurama sat in a chair to her right, arms folded over his chest, eyes also closed, the fingers on his right hand strumming along his other arm as he waited somewhat impatiently for the plan to be set into action. There was a good rivulet of blood running down the back of his neck where Natsumi had hit him. Yusuke was sitting on the edge of one of the four beds, holding his head in his hands to nurse his headache away. His almost inaudible grumbles slowly grew to growls as he was obviously failing in assuaging the dull pounding in his skull. Kuwabara was laying on his bed with his arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling, sprawled out oddly.  
  
"Are you prepared?" Akira asked gently. They all looked at her pointedly, as if to say, "Duh." She smiled, and pulled from her robes a rolled-up map, two keys, and a small, marble-sized black orb. These she deposited on the bed nearest her. "I have not seen her since this morning. I do not know her condition now, but it wasn't good then. The sphere will get you out undetected, if she is difficult to move. The map will lead you to her...the keys will take you from this room, and into hers. You will leave tonight, while the master rests."  
  
"What makes you think he won't kill her before then?" Hiei asked annoyedly.  
  
"He will not; I can assure you of this. She has already proven far more than capable of making him ill with her virtue...he cannot handle devouring such a pure soul, and it's causing him pain. He will be wary of her for some time. I doubt he'll try anything else until tomorrow, which is why you are leaving tonight."  
  
"And after we get her out? What's to say he won't come after her again?" Kurama asked, concern in his eyes.  
  
"Nothing is to say," she answered truthfully. "But if he is led to believe that her disappearance is due to her death..."  
  
"You're going to fake her death?" Yusuke demanded, "How in the hell do you plan to do that?"  
  
"I have my ways," Akira snapped uncharacteristically. "You needn't worry about anything but getting her out of here...but I need to ask a favor."  
  
"Should have known---there's always a catch," Kuwabara grumbled.  
  
Akira glared at him, but spoke as if ignoring him, "I need to ask that you take the twins with you. They do not belong here." Surprised, all four of them looked up at her, but she returned their gazes evenly. "They are good young demonesses, I believe that they could make a difference elsewhere...but not as murderers."  
  
"Um, fine...we can agree to that. We'll take them with us from Makai, but what about you?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"I'll be fine remaining here. Someone has to explain all of this..." Akira said.  
  
"He'll kill you if he finds out," Hiei said simply.  
  
"That is why he must not," Akira said, smiling as if amused. Her smile turned rueful, however, as she turned away. "Remember these words: the midnight moon will lead the way home."  
  
With that said, she left the room, making sure to lock the door behind her. Kuwabara looked around, wondering if he was the only one confused, then finally voiced his question, "Did anyone get what she just said?"  
  
"Baka," Hiei muttered under his breath.  
  
"She meant that we leave at midnight, get Asa, and follow the path that the moon lights so we can get back to the portal," Kurama explained. A silence fell over them as Kuwabara nodded slowly, his mouth shaping a small 'o' of understanding.  
  
"Well, we'd better get some rest then," Yusuke said, falling back on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He knew as well as the rest of them did that sleep would not come easily. They were all too worried about Asa. But Kurama eased back in his chair, Kuwabara rested his eyes, and Hiei sat on the window sill, all thinking...then, after many moments, all drifting...  
  
- - - - -  
  
Oh, yay. Another chapter. Um...since I'm so hopelessly frazzled about the picture thing ((PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!!)) I've recruited Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei, and yes...even Kuwabara ((ducks and hides from Kuwabara haters)) to respond to reviews, which I am most grateful for. But right now, I must write this new chapter that is a few chapters ahead of Asa's 'rescue'...crap, that was a spoiler. Oh, well. Want a sneak-peak of the chap I'm working on? Okay, here it is---  
  
- - - Sneak Peak - - -  
  
CRACK.  
  
Kurama's eyes were wide, as he stepped backward and lifted a hand to the spot on his cheek where Asa's palm had connected.  
  
- - - End Sneak Peak - - -  
  
Oi, you're all gonna kill me, ne? Yikes. Okay, off now. I'll remedy it, I swear! (bows and runs for her life)  
  
Kurama- (eyeing smoke left from Meka's departure curiously) Oooookay, first off, to our new buddy, Melanie-chan...(ahem) thank you for thinking Youko is hot... (blushes) and uh...yeah. You're cool, too. Miss Meka is very obliged that you keep reviewing, and hopes you will continue to do so despite the fact that I'm gonna have a sore cheek in an upcoming chapter...  
  
Hiei- Hn. My turn, ne?  
  
Yusuke- Yup, that'd be your cue.  
  
Hiei- Hn...AzureDragoness, your name is cool. And Meka thanks you for reviewing. Much obliged. Okay, baka, you're up.  
  
Kuwabara- But there's nothing left to say!  
  
Yusuke- Yeah there is, moron! You've got to continue the disclaimer, and beg other poor pathetic people who are bored enough to read Meka's story to review!  
  
Kurama- Now that wasn't very nice, Yusuke...  
  
Meka- (returns with a large bat she borrowed from Botan) No...No, it wasn't. (eyes flame)  
  
Yusuke- ...(whimper) Help.  
  
Meka- (chasing Yusuke around with aforesaid bat while getting looked at quizzically by the other three) DIE, YOU STUPID ALREADY DEAD ONCE BAKA MORON! SUFFER MY WRATH AND PERISH WITH YOUR BOUNTIFUL USAGES OF HAIR GEL!  
  
Kuwabara- ...(sweat drop) Right. Um. No one owns nothin', and please continue to review. Bye.


	6. Chapter Five The Rescue

Chapter Five-  
  
"Youko?" During their time together, Ai had gradually stopped calling him 'Youko Kurama' and settled for merely 'Youko.' She knew that they only had a little time left to be together, but it seemed that _daily_ he chose to play hide-and-seek with her at the temple. Today he had left clues for her, that led her to the stream behind the temple. She was now looking around for him cautiously, only slightly amused at his childish game. He certainly was a _sly_ little fox, her Kurama. "Youko, this isn't funny right now. Where are you?"  
  
"I've been standing behind you for quite some time, Ai-chan."  
  
Jumping in surprise, Ai turned her wide blue eyes to meet two golden ones that had myrrh dancing like fire behind them. She frowned and furrowed her brow at him. "You scared me! Don't do that again! I was worried," she scolded.  
  
His ears pinned back, and the golden pools grew wide and misty as he pouted, looking like a kit who'd just gotten reprimanded. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely, his voice perfectly matching his face.  
  
Ai sighed, and palmed her forehead, then rubbed her eyes, "No, I am sorry, Youko...I should not have yelled. But..."  
  
"But what, Ai-chan?" he asked, his playful tone coming back as he perked up. He'd gotten so much like a kit since he'd come into her temple. He didn't seem to realize that their time together was limited, by only a few more weeks...she would die soon. Though she had known it for some time, it still seemed to sadden her that she only could spend these past few months with him; they were all she had.  
  
She visibly shook away the thoughts, and smiled lightly, "It is nothing. Never mind. Why did you bring me here, Youko?" Youko frowned when she side-stepped the question. He'd known that she was keeping something from him for some time, and he'd forgotten her promise that they'd only be together for a little while; his past few months were heaven. He truly, deeply loved this priestess. Of course, he'd never let any of the other thieves, especially Koronue, know that...and whenever they questioned his long absences when he left Ai's temple to return to his thieving ways, he'd merely throw a growl of, "It's none of your business," their way.  
  
He smiled then, thinking to himself, _I will figure you out soon enough, my priestess. Just you wait_, and speaking aloud, "I thought we could go swimming!"  
  
"Swimming?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow, her face falling and paling a bit. He nodded his head eagerly, again taking on the little kit appearance. "Uh...Youko, you _know_ I'm not much for swimming..."  
  
He'd only ever seen her wade in shallow waters, he'd remembered about a week before, and when he'd inquired about it, she'd merely replied that she didn't 'swim'. He'd been asking her about it all week. She should have known better than to trust him and follow him to a stream. Curses. "Not yet, anyway," Youko finally smirked, sweeping her up into his arms. She yipped in protest when he walked to the edge of the stream, and dropped her into the deeper waters.  
  
He grew slightly worried when she didn't surface after a moment. "Ai?" He kneeled to get a closer look into the water. Nothing. "Ai!" He dove in after her, berating himself for now listening to her in the first place. It didn't take long for him to find her, nearly unconscious and sinking toward the bottom of the stream. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her upward then hoisting her past him so she surfaced a moment before he did. When he broke through the water's surface, gasping for air, he half-expected her to hit him. But, he was surprised. Very surprised.  
  
Ai had thrown her head back and was giggling madly in his arms, holding her mouth with both hands to try and stifle her chortles, but unable to. He held her close, pulling her with him onto the shore, but still, she didn't stop giggling. "Ai, _daijobu_?" he asked, shaking her shoulders gently to make her look at him. She smiled at him, wiping laughter tears from her eyes. He urgently repeated, "_Daijobu_?"  
  
"_Hai_, I am fine, Youko," she nodded affirmatively, still panting from her laughter. He held her protectively, muttering more apologies than she could count into the crown of her head. She chuckled, turning her face upward and planting a kiss on his lips to silence him. "I am fine...thank you," she said sincerely. "I've never had that much fun in my life."  
  
"That is hard to believe," he said, raising an eyebrow. But her eyes never lied to him. And they didn't then, either.  
  
-  
  
Kurama awoke before the others. Hiei had even allowed himself to drift off, but looking at him would reveal his Jigan eye was free from the headband he often wore and wide awake, taking in his surroundings. Taking a deep breath, he blinked upon remembering his dream of Ai's first swimming adventure. Youko must have really cared for the woman. Kurama couldn't really remember a time when he'd uttered so many apologies to anyone...  
  
"It's almost midnight."  
  
Kurama looked up, surprised to see Yusuke sitting up as if he had never been asleep at all. Kuwabara then sat up, with an affirmative nod. Hiei turned his head to look at them, and Kurama almost smirked as he stood up and watched the humans stretch before they joined him.  
  
They all filed past him toward the door, Hiei pausing to turn to look at him. Smirking, the Jiganshi said, "You mumble in your sleep." Kurama blushed, wondering if they'd heard everything he'd said. "Don't worry; no one did...you just do."  
  
"_Arigato_, Hiei," Kurama nodded with a smile. Yusuke fiddled with the keys, cursing in the darkness, until he found the one that unlocked their cell, and with a small huff of amusement and a click of the key hitting the lock, they were free to roam throughout the castle. They knew only that they were going to look around until they found where Asa was. It was so quiet that they could almost hear every drip-drop of water coming through from the upper floors, every step of their foot, and unfortunately, Kuwabara's rather heavy breathing.  
  
Finally, Yusuke hissed, "Kuwabara, what the hell's wrong?! You got influenza or somethin'?!"  
  
"I'm getting the cold, creepy feeling," Kuwabara shuddered, rubbing his arms. "I don't have a good feeling about this..."  
  
"You only have a creepy feeling because we have been walking up here for some time, _no __baka_." The whisper from above their heads made them all look upward, to see Kasumi and Natsumi---standing upside down from the ceiling.  
  
"Whoa...okay, you learn something new every day. Where'd you two get the ability to defy gravity?!" Yusuke demanded, watching as the twins let themselves fall, and flipped to land on their feet. They eyed him curiously, their expressions clearly stating, "Is something odd about that?"  
  
"They're Class B demons, they can do whatever they wish," Hiei stated, then, almost as an instinct, added an annoyed, "Hn."  
  
Kasumi gave them both a smile and shook her head, as her sister said, "Lady Akira told us to take you to her, and to guide you to your portal. She spoke some strange things...said that she hoped we would make it all right. Do you know what she was talking about?"  
  
The four of them exchanged a knowing glance. It was Akira's discreet goodbye, she was trying not to let them know that she was sending them away. The twins both raised their eyebrows, as Kurama said, "We are unaware...maybe you should hurry and take us to Asa...midnight is almost upon us."  
  
"_Hai_," they agreed in unison. They took the lead, cautiously checking around every corner before they turned them, and after a few moments, they found themselves outside Asa's door. "Here it is. Go on, we will wait for you at the top of the stairs there," Kasumi said, pointing down the hallway where the staircase was. She and Natsumi walked down the hallway, and Kurama was beside the door almost instantaneously, eyeing Yusuke pointedly and spurring the detective to take the keys and rush to the door. Yusuke's hands fumbled with the keys, until finally, with an aggravated sigh, Kurama held out his hand, palm upward, and Yusuke, smirking, thrust the keys toward the fox, whose own hands were surprisingly calm.  
  
He got the key easily into the keyhole, turned it, and shoved the door open with a little more force than he'd meant to, then stepped inside in a cursory, eyes darting over the room for Asa. When he spotted her, his heart sank to his feet.  
  
She was still underneath the thin material of Akira's cloak, but she was sitting upright in the corner, with her head on one arm that was folded over the top of her knees that she'd pulled to her chest. Her face was covered in bruises, and her other arm hung limply at an odd angle at her side. Her eyes were half-open though she seemed to be asleep, and they were dull, lifeless, more gray than their more usual color of a lively ice blue. He took a sharp intake of breath as he eyed the blood that was trailed all over the floor and stained over her skin and clothes, then took a step toward her, and another. The others came in behind him, looking over his shoulder, and their reactions were similar.  
  
Kurama finally made it so that she was within his arm's reach. He slowly kneeled to one knee, reaching for her and holding her half-open eyes in his as if she were a wild animal. When she saw him, she gasped, her head moving upright, and shifted back further against the wall, until she could wriggle away no further. She was whimpering, and he recoiled as if he'd been slapped, closing his eyes for a moment to squeeze back the tears there, then muttering as he returned his gaze to hers, "Asa...it's me, Shuuichi..."  
  
She sniffled, eyes welling up with jewel-bright tears that looked strange against the lifeless foggy orbs. He started to reach for her again, more slowly, and she buried her head into the cloak, whimpering, "No...leave me be..."  
  
He looked over his shoulder at Yusuke and Kuwabara, then to Hiei, whose face was uncharacteristically soft. "What do we do?" he questioned in a quiet voice. Hiei moved forth, reaching a hand out quickly enough so that Asa didn't see and raising his index finger to point at her forehead. A small orb of light formed at his fingertip, and went into Asa's forehead. Her eyes closed immediately, and she slumped forward, but Kurama caught her.  
  
At the others' questioning glances, Hiei explained, "I used some of my power to put her into a semi-conscious state. She'll be fine until we get her to Genkai's."  
  
"Then let's get her out of this hellhole," Yusuke muttered, his eyes never leaving Asa as Kurama gingerly lifted her up into his arms. "Poor squirt..."  
  
"Come on, let's go," Kuwabara was the one who finally started leading them out of the dungeon, forcing the others to rip their eyes away from the injured girl in their care. They walked slowly down the hall and up the stairs, where Natsumi and Kasumi waited, the first leaning against the wall with one foot resting against it, her arms crossed across her chest, the other sitting with her back against the wall, one knee pulled to her chest, her other leg coiled underneath of the first, her hands wrapped around her ankle.  
  
When they heard the boys approaching, they both looked up, and their eyes went wide when they saw Asa's condition. Kasumi opened her mouth and tried to speak, but her throat refused to send air over her vocal cords to let any of the sound out. Natsumi, the strongest sister, was the one to speak, "Is she...all right?"  
  
"She will be fine, once we get her to our friend's," Kurama supplied as tersely as he could, face almost as pale as the girl's he was carrying. It didn't go unnoticed that, now that she was asleep, her head rested against his shoulder comfortably, and she was snuggled against him as if letting him have any more space than she was would kill her. And, seeing her condition, it probably would.  
  
Natsumi nodded in reply, holding a hand down to her sister, who took it with her good arm, the other still being minorly injured due to Yusuke's Spirit Gun attack, and lifted herself up onto her feet. They led the boys out of the castle, no one noticing that they had gone. Kurama glanced back at the onyx palace only once, vowing silently to return once Asa was well again, and kill Sakai himself. It wasn't often that the gentleness Kurama had acquired in his years as Shuuichi slipped enough to let Youko's brutality through, but this wasn't even a question of being gentle---Sakai had hurt Asa. The Shadow Master in question would have to pay dearly. ((A/N: I PROMISE you all, Kurama will exact his revenge...trust me.))  
  
The moonlight showered them as they exited the invisible wall around the castle, and Kasumi and Natsumi crept along as stealthily as Hiei would have, stopping at the edge of the forest to see that moonlight bathed one of the paths in front of them so that it almost glowed. "Where is your friend?" Kasumi asked, looking at Hiei, who glanced around the forest, then went in a blur off to the right. When he returned, he brought a half-dazed Botan with him in his arms, setting her down on her feet so that she could stretch her limbs and yawn---she'd been asleep---but then, when her eyes fell upon Asa, she gasped, and was immediately at Kurama's side, assessing the damage done to her young friend.  
  
"What did that monster do to her?" Botan breathed, her eyes flooding over with tears. "Poor Asa..."  
  
Hiei, surprising everyone with his actions, took her hand, pulling her gently away from Asa and petting the hand of hers he held in a consoling manner. No one had the heart to even tease as he did. Botan's tears were calmed after a few moments, and she returned Hiei's grip on her hand, offering him a small smile. "Let's get her home," Yusuke finally muttered to Kurama, nodding at the twin demons to lead the way. Natsumi and Kasumi, to say the least, were shocked at the humans' reactions---they, being demons raised by the heartless Sakai (who, as I promised before, WILL get his), had never had many friends outside the other servants, Lady Akira, and one another, and didn't really relate to many human emotions. ((If you can't tell who I'm pairing THESE two with, let me just give you a hint: they're both some of our buddy demons from the Dark Tournament. One has a funny accent while the other has AWESOME hair. Take a guess. Go on. (mischievous smirk) ))  
  
They led the group silently, and in almost no time at all, they found themselves in front of the portal. "We will accompany you through the portal, to make sure you arrive safely, but then we are coming back," Natsumi told them, eyeing the area where the onyx castle should have been cautiously. The four boys exchanged a glance. They now knew what Akira's plan was---she would know when they walked through the portal, it would close, leaving the twin girls trapped in the human world. They had a feeling that, even if they did find a way back to her, Akira would no longer be around to greet them. This stunt was definitely enough to earn her her death.  
  
They went through the portal, finding themselves in front of Genkai's temple. The twins didn't seem to notice the portal disappearing as Genkai rushed forth from the shadows of her doorway, her movements stealthy and somewhat surprising considering her age, but her face as calm as it always was. "Yukina told me what happened," she said, eyeing the limp form of Asa that was huddled in Kurama's arms. "Bring her inside quickly. Botan, I may need your help. The rest of you, go get the girls from Koenma's. Kurama, you can stay here...as can you two, Kasumi, Natsumi."  
  
Surprised that Genkai knew them, both the girls exchanged glances, and Natsumi protested, "But we must get home---!"  
  
"You're not going home. Look behind you." They did, and both their faces were of pure shock and dismay when they saw that the portal had closed. "Your foster mother, Akira, wished for you to stay in the human world, away from Sakai's clutches. You would be wise to respect her wishes," Genkai said in a raspy voice. "Now, you four," she nodded at the twins, Botan, and Kurama, "Follow me. Dimwit, I trust you can get to Koenma's on your own?"  
  
"_Hai_, old hag, we're cool. Just take care of Asa-chan, _onegai_?" Yusuke asked, taking Hiei and Kuwabara with him as they left the temple to get Shizuru and Keiko. Kurama carried Asa into the temple after Genkai and Botan, trailed by Natsumi and Kasumi, who seemed highly saddened by their new loss of a home. Yukina was already waiting for them when Genkai entered one of the many rooms at her temple, and Kurama saw that she had prepared several ointments and salves that were in bowls around the futon he had to kneel to lay Asa on.  
  
Genkai gave him a sympathetic look as he continued kneeling beside the girl, his hand in hers, then said, "Kurama, you'll have to leave while I do this. Take Kasumi and Natsumi with you, please. I promise, I'll do the best I can for her." She laid a hand on Kurama's shoulder, then removed it to turn away as he stood up to lead the twins out of the room, turning to gently push the rice paper door closed behind him. He only paused when it was a crack open, stealing one more glance of Asa's face before he shut it firmly, with a heavy sigh.  
  
"_Onegai_..._onegai_ let her be all right..." he whispered under his breath, inclining his head forward and resting his forehead against his hand, that was still on the door. The twins exchanged a knowing glance as he took a slow, deep breath, to control his sudden burst of emotions, then eyed him patiently, as he straightened, turned to them, and sighed, "I'll show you two around...I doubt you'll be able to find your way through the 'Labyrinth' on your own..." He forced a gentle smile, but they both knew he was trying to busy himself until he knew Asa was all right. A wave of understanding passed over the three of them as Kurama led them through Genkai's temple, and neither of the twins said much even when they heard him mumble prayers for Asa's well being.  
  
- - - - -  
  
(Kurama, Meka, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei are sitting on a couch, watching a television that has the story on it like an actual episode. Loud sniffles can be heard, but you can't tell which one they're coming from.)  
  
((sniff))  
  
((sniffle sniff))  
  
((sob sniffle))  
  
Meka- Oh, for crying out loud, Hiei! ((shoves a box of tissues into Hiei's hands))  
  
Hiei- I'm not...((sniffle))...crying. Shut up, _baka onna_.  
  
Kurama- Hiei, if you're not crying, what do you call the watery substance that is being produced by your eyes?  
  
Hiei- ...Die slowly, Fox.  
  
Kuwabara- Since everyone hates me, I'm going to hold up the disclaimer sign! ((holds up the disclaimer sign, that says, "Asa doesn't own nothing ..anything..."))  
  
Hiei- I want to answer Sazuka-chan's review. Just because.  
  
Meka- NO, you want to answer it because she hates Kuwabara, too, and you love her for it.  
  
Hiei- Hn...so? ((Meka shrugs)) Anyway, Sazuka-chan, thank you for reviewing...I can personally promise you that the baka will never, EVER answer any of your reviews.  
  
Meka- ((raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms)) Well, you're on a roll...go on...  
  
Hiei- Um...okay, AzureDragoness, your name is still cool...and _arigato_ for continuing to review. And I was NOT being civil...just like I wasn't crying...  
  
Yusuke- My turn?  
  
Meka- ((nods, sitting back and glaring at him))  
  
Yusuke- YAAAY! ((holds up sign that says, "I'm only being nice because Meka said if I am she won't kill me for being a ja-ku earlier!")) Akeisha, we thank you for continuing to read the story...despite the scythe threat. And tell Beast that he sounds really cool, and that if he ever needs help escaping his authoress' clutches like I need help with---!  
  
Meka- ((growls))  
  
Yusuke- ((yelps)) Uh, ...just tell him...to...call..._Keiko_, yeah... ((runs and hides))  
  
Meka- And last, but not least, Kurama-kun...do yer stuff.  
  
Kurama- ((eyes her curiously)) You made me look like a cry baby in this chapter.  
  
Meka- No, that was _Hiei_ being a cry baby. You're just being nice and fluffy kawaii, as always.  
  
Kurama- ((glowers)) Well, anyway... ((brightens)) Melanie-chan, we utmostly thank you for being our #1 Fan and we hope you will keep reviewing and writing your awesome fic!  
  
Meka- ((claps)) Yay! Good job, you all! Okay, gotta go...more torture to plan! ((evil grin)) Byes! 


	7. Chapter Six Apology

Chapter Six- 

What seemed like hours after they'd finished the quick tour and Kurama had led them to the main sitting room of Genkai's home, after the arrival of Yusuke with the others, the withered, pink-haired woman appeared, Botan and Yukina at her side, all three looking slightly exhausted. Kurama was instantly in front of Genkai, questioning, "Is she all right?"  
  
"She'll be fine...she had a broken arm, and some cracked ribs, but that was the worst of her injuries," Genkai answered him, glancing outside to see that it was still early in the morning. "Yukina, Botan, take Kasumi and Natsumi to their rooms, then the two of you get to bed yourselves." As she said this, she looked to Yusuke while the four girls left the room, "Dimwit, you can take Keiko and Shizuru to their rooms, as well. Kuwabara and Hiei know where theirs are. You'll all be staying here tonight. It's too late for any of you to be returning home."  
  
Hiei was the only one who mildly protested at basically being told he was too weak to be walking alone, and his only offer at a protest was, "_Hn_."  
  
Kurama waited patiently until they'd all left, staring inquiringly at Genkai. He knew she wished to speak with him some more. She sighed once the door closed behind her guests, and motioned Kurama to sit down at the couch, taking a seat in the armchair herself. He paused, but did what she indicated---Genkai was not one to take disobedience and rebellion lightly.  
  
"I'm pretty sure you know that it's worse than that," Genkai spoke, her voice soft and sympathetic. Kurama nodded, his emerald gaze flickering with concern and anxiety as he waited for her to continue. "Sakai has stolen a piece of her soul, her very essence. I doubt she'll be able to remember anything that happened, and that might be a good thing. She's young, and strong, but I don't think she could be able to handle the full weight of the truth of her situation. Sakai has tasted her soul; he won't give up on acquiring the whole. We both know that as well as we both know Akira is dead."   
  
Kurama's eyes widened slightly, when she confirmed his suspicion about Akira. Sadness and regret crossed his features, but he quickly schooled them, nodding at her to show that he understood, and she could go on. She took a deep breath, and did so, "I'm not entirely sure how she'll be affected by the side effects, Kurama. She might not be _herself_ anymore, though I highly doubt that. And now, since she's in danger, she will need to be as wary as humanly possible. If not, she will need to be watched carefully, so no harm comes to her. Do you understand?"  
  
"You want me to keep an eye on her. I understand. Do you really think Sakai will return for her?"  
  
"_Hai_. I really think he will. Akira was right about one thing; Sakai is pure evil, and Asa is pure good. Since he devoured a small piece of pure good, Sakai became ill for a while, but once his black heart could convert Asa's purity to his own purposes, it filled him with a thirst---one that could not be quenched by any normal human soul. I believe that Asa is a very special child, more so than even Yusuke. She has the potential to become a very powerful young lady."  
  
"What do you mean...?" Kurama started, but Genkai's look silenced him.  
  
"I merely mean that she has potential. Any further questions, I cannot answer. I think, however, that you already know someone who can," Genkai told him, giving him a meaningful look. He knew who she was talking about---Youko. "I think it's high time you went to visit with her...if she is awake, find out what she remembers, but don't tell her anything. Answer her questions gently if you find that you can. I'm going to bed."  
  
"_Arigato_, Genkai-sama," Kurama said, bowing his head at her. She offered him a small smile, and left him there. He listened to her footsteps echo down the hall, before he stood up, rushing to Asa's room. He opened the door quietly, walking into the room and shutting it behind him to look at Asa where she lay asleep.  
  
"Oh...Asa..." he breathed mournfully, eyes taking in all of her. Her hair was slightly disheveled, but Botan had done the best she could to put it into a loose braid that hung over her shoulder, and her face was bruised and covered with butterfly bandages. Her lower arm had a cast on it, and he could tell from the different shape of her feet through the blanket that lay over her that her fractured ankle was wrapped, as well.   
  
She was in a different outfit, one that had undoubtedly been borrowed from Yukina, since it was a white sleeping kimono with a loose collar that revealed the base of her throat. Her school uniform, the one she'd been wearing the day she was kidnapped, was in a pile in the corner, he noted, glancing around the room as he came to the side of the futon and lowered himself to one knee. He couldn't inspect her any more thoroughly to make sure every hurt had been attended to, so he sufficed with taking her hand, and holding it in both of his against his forehead as he leaned forward slightly, lowering himself to sit beside of her, and closing his eyes.  
  
_I promise you, Asa, he'll pay. And I promise, I'll never let anything like this happen to you again...I'm sorry._  
  
"Sh...uuichi...?"  
  
The quiet voice caused him to look up in surprise. When he saw Asa's eyes half-open, he nearly yipped in joy, and restrained himself from grabbing her up in a hug for fear of hurting her already bruised ribs. She looked over at him, slightly dazed, but otherwise alert, confusion written clearly on her features.  
  
"Asa, you're awake," he finally said, quite lamely.  
  
"_Hai_, but...what happened...? ...Shuuichi?!" she squeaked in surprise, when he buried his face in his hands, hiding his tears of relief from her view. "Shuuichi..." she said then, softly, reaching with the arm closest to him, since it was the good one, to tug on his hand lightly. His shoulders shook with his silent sobs, and she fought, wincing as she forced herself to sit up as much as she could. "Shuuichi, look at me," she ordered gently.  
  
His emerald, tear-brimmed eyes found hers from behind his hands, and she almost gasped at the pain she saw there. She moved her hand from his, to cup his face, trying to sit up further, and he immediately helped her, knowing that once she resolved to do something, there was nothing that would bend her will. She weakly smiled at him as he reached out his arms to wrap them around her, pulling her into an upright position, but he only gazed at her sadly, his eyes still welling.  
  
"Asa..._gomen_, I'm so sorry," he whispered, hugging her as carefully as he could without doing any more damage to her already frail body. His tears fell into her hair, and she let him hold her like that for many moments, until she was sure that he'd calmed somewhat, then pulled away to look him in the eyes. Her breaking the embrace made him lean her back against the pillows and back off a bit, merely settling for holding her hands in his.  
  
"Shuuichi, why are you sorry? What happened?" she inquired again, just as softly, as if she were speaking to a small, distraught child. He was surprised at his sudden yearning to hold her again when he heard the way she spoke to him, and shook it off.  
  
"You...don't remember?" he asked, feeling slightly foolish for allowing himself to cry in front of her. She shook her head once, looking down at herself and blinking. He almost sighed, partially in relief that she didn't remember such a horrifying experience, partially in regret that she didn't know his reasons for being so upset with her condition and his partaking in it. "There was...an accident," he worded it carefully, so as not to alarm her, "We...didn't know if you would make it. We brought you to Genkai's. She's...a sort-of doctor, you remember. Your father knows you're here, too...so don't worry about that," he added as an afterthought.  
  
"_Hai_, _arigato_, Shuuichi-kun...what kind of accident was it? I mean, geesh...this is pretty damn serious," she said, wincing as she looked at him. The question caught him off guard, but he realized it was mostly for myrrh. She was trying to lighten his mood and ease his concerns, he knew, but he couldn't help but feel guilty as he gazed at her for many moments.  
  
"The accident..._was_ serious, Asa. You could have died..."  
  
"So, did a truck hit me? Because that's what it _feels_ like," she smirked up at him. No, losing a piece of her soul didn't seem to effect her personality, at all, he decided, raising an eyebrow at her taking the situation and making a joke out of it.  
  
"Asa, this isn't really something to kid about," he scolded lightly.  
  
"I know, but you looked so damn serious that I couldn't help it. You know me, I had to do _something_ to cheer you up...you looked like you just killed a kitten."   
  
Kurama's eyes widened at the metaphor, and as Asa giggled at his dumbfounded expression, he found that his face had formed its own smile of amusement, and he finally abandoned his resolve to keep this current conversation serious as he joked, "I'm not so sure I'd want Kuwabara to hear that..."  
  
"Heh, yeah, the big softy; he'd probably try to kill you," Asa rolled her eyes, settling down so that her head rested against the pillow again. Kurama smiled gently at her, still holding her hands in his, and, when she looked pointedly at their intertwined fingers, blushed, pulling away to shift his position so that he had his back to the wall behind her head. "Shuuichi?" she asked, after a silence.  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"You still haven't answered my question."  
  
"About the accident?" he asked knowingly.  
  
"Mm hm," she nodded, though she knew he couldn't see it, since he was staring at the opposite wall.  
  
"I'll tell you later, Asa-chan...get some rest."  
  
"Okay...but don't go being all guilty-like again, Shuuichi-kun. Promise?"  
  
"_Hai_, I promise..." he answered, fighting the urge to cross his fingers. "_Oyusami nasai_, Asa."  
  
"_Oyusami_," she answered with a yawn, then, after a long pause, her breathing turned deep and even. He turned his head to look at her as she slept again, and, before he could think about exactly what he was doing, leaned down, planting a kiss on her forehead and smiling as she squirmed underneath the contact against her skin.  
  
"Sweet dreams, Asa-chan," he said after he pulled away, and pulled a knee to his chest to rest his arms on as he, too, allowed himself to give into the exhaustion that overtook his body.  
  
- - - - -  
  
Meka- Well, I think I'll end it there...since what I have in mind next is kinda non-fluff. But hey, I put in a little _fluff_! Go me! Yay! Happy, everyone? No tomatoes? Okay? Okay. I'm glad we've come to an agreement. Oh, right. Review responses. BOYS!  
  
Rekai Tentai- WHAT?!  
  
Meka- It's time for the responses!  
  
Yusuke- ((mumbles)) Damn it, I was so close, too.  
  
Meka- ...Close to what?  
  
Yusuke- Beating the last level of FFX-2.  
  
Meka- Phht...you suck if you can't beat that---wait, you played Final Fantasy X-2?! You actually _let_ yourself be a girl?!  
  
Yusuke- ...This does not leave this room. ((sends warning glances around))  
  
Kuwabara- ...Right. Well. Moving on...

Kurama- Ooh, it's my turn today! Melanie and Ayame, yay, you came back! Happiness and obligedness, as well. Have you updated your story yet? ((bounces up and down excitedly))

Meka- I apologize for him... ((whacks him on the back of the head, rendering him unconscious)) He had caffeine this morning. A LOT of it. Here, you two girls can have him while he's asleep! Just don't molest him...much. ((hands him over to Mel and Ayame)) Have fun!

Yusuke- I can't believe you just rendered Kurama unconscious and then gave him to a girl who'll probably take advantage of him while he's asleep.

Meka- Why can't you believe it?

Yusuke- Because it's BRILLIANT! Can you send Hiei, too! I wanna see someone grab him up!

Meka- ...Okay, but YOU'RE explaining it to him when he wakes up in someone else's room...okay, who wants to claim Hiei?

Hiei- CLAIM me? .... ((sweat drop))

Meka- Yup. Come on, I know SOMEONE wants to...you can claim Urameshi, too, if you like. Mel, you were right about Jin and Touya and Natsu and Kasu. Oh, they're claimable, too...Jin and Touya, that is. Inquire within a review!


	8. Chapter Seven The Reason Youko Came Back

Chapter Seven-  
  
When Asa awoke, she first noticed that Kurama was no longer by her side, and turned her head to eye the empty area he had been in curiously, wondering where he'd gone. The second thing she noticed was that it was late in the day, probably about noon. The _third_ thing she noticed was two girls standing on either side of her door, one dressed in blue, the other in green. They looked almost exactly alike.  
  
"Oh, you're awake!" the one in blue said, happiness in her voice as her exclamation brought her sister's attention to Asa.  
  
"Well, _ohayo_, sleepy-head!" the second one exclaimed, grinning.  
  
"Um..._ohayo_," Asa replied as pleasantly as she could, confusion clearly written on her face. "Uh, no offense or anything...but who are you?"  
  
"I'm Natsumi, and this is my sister, Kasumi," the one in a blue kimono said, gesturing at her sister. Asa nodded slowly, her eyebrow arching as she did.  
  
"Okay, next question---where'd you come from?"  
  
"...Um..." Natsumi glanced desperately at her sister, who smiled in amusement.  
  
"We're old friends of Genkai," Kasumi lied easily. "We were supposed to watch over you so Shuuichi could get some sleep that wouldn't leave him with a crick in the neck."  
  
"Oh, so that's where Shuuichi-kun went?" Asa asked, trying to sit up. Natsumi was instantly at her side to help her, and she offered a grateful smile to the girl, noticing with some surprise that she had different-colored eyes.  
  
"_Hai_," they answered in unison, as Natsumi stood up and backed away from Asa again. Asa twitched at the sound of the unified response.  
  
"Uh...and you're twins, obviously..." Asa muttered under her breath, weirded out by their ability to speak in the same tone of voice at the same time. She was even more weirded out a second later, when two big blue eyes ((ARE they blue? I've always wondered...)) were directly in her face from under a head of red hair.  
  
"_Oi_, Asa, lass, we heard ye had a bit of a willy there," Jin said, when he pulled back to fall back on his butt at Asa's feet. Asa's eyes widened for a second, then she raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Jin, where the hell did _you_ come from?" she asked, glancing at Kasumi and Natsumi---and not surprised when their faces were both expressions of pure shock.  
  
"I just dropped in from the window there, lassie. 'Tweren't much of a difficult task a'tall!" ((Can you tell how much I love Jin speaking?)) Asa had always been okay with Jin's oddness, and was in fact, rather fond of her friend. Whenever he was around her, he was in full human form, so his sharp teeth and horn were gone, but he still looked like the same messy, red-haired, short little demon that he always was, and she found him highly amusing.  
  
"I apologize for him, Asa-chan..." a calmer voice said from behind Jin. Asa looked past her Irish friend to see the more quiet Touya smiling gently at her.  
  
"No prob, Touya-kun," she said with a grin. She glanced again at the twins, finding Natsumi gaping at Touya, and Kasumi's eyes settling not uncomfortably on Jin. Her grin grew wider. "Touya, Jin, these lovely ladies watching over me are Natsumi and Kasum_iii_..." She trailed on the 'i' in Kasumi's name, looking at the girls pointedly.  
  
"Mizuchi," they supplied in unison, making Asa twitch again, and blushing when the boys smiled at them and nodded in greeting.  
  
"Aye, lovely indeed," Jin nodded in agreement, eyeing Kasumi with a twinkle in his lovely-to-behold orbs. He turned his gaze back to Asa, who was looking at him with a knowing smile, and said quickly, "Lassie, do ya happen to know where Urameshi is? I've been wantin' to have a word with 'im, but you can ne'er find the lad!"  
  
"He's probably around here somewhere...at least, I'd suppose so, considering..." Asa said, her voice trailing off as her eyebrow arched.  
  
"Mm, that's good, but I was wonderin' what happened to ye, lass---ye look like ye just took a round wit a fire-breathin' serpent, aye!" Jin exclaimed excitedly.  
  
"Nope, didn't take on a dragon...or, at least, I don't think I did...I don't really _remember_ what happened," she answered honestly. Jin and Touya both grew curious then.  
  
"Well, we'd better find Yusuke and the others, Jin," Touya said gently, putting a hand on Jin's shoulder to pull him away from Asa, "Let's leave Asa to get some rest so she can heal properly, _ne_?"  
  
"_Aa_, that sounds sensible, but do ya know yer way around here, Touya, lad?" When Touya grew quiet and pensive, Jin turned to the twins, "Fine, if ye don't know, I wonder if the twin lasses here'll be kind enough to show us to the detective?"  
  
"Um...sure," Kasumi answered, blushing lightly as Jin jumped up to lean close to her face.  
  
"Ooh, _good_, tha's very good, milass! Let's get goin' then, eh, Touya? Ye better rest up, Asa-lass, I'll be expectin' ye up and about before I go home, ya hear?"  
  
"Aye, Jin-kun!" Asa saluted with her good arm, smirking at him playfully as the four of them filed out of her room. She waited until they'd closed the door to shake her head and sigh, "Love-dazed ninnies..." Looking around, she wondered, "..._Now_ what am I gonna do? _Gah_! This place is _so_ boring!" She sank back into her pillows again, sighing dramatically. "If I could get up and walk around, it wouldn't be so freaking bad..."  
  
She looked around the room she was in. She lay on a futon, in a room with a hardwood floor, a dresser, a nightstand to her left, and a door on the opposite wall that she figured led to a bathroom or something---a rather classic Japanese room. And a very _boring_ one. She settled her gaze on the tree outside her window. Two blue birds were there, sitting in the tree. They were mates, and sat close together, warbling together and snuggling. She couldn't help but smile at them.  
  
Yawning, she closed her eyes again for what only seemed like a moment, wondering how she was so freaking tired, then, she was out like a light...  
  
- ((This is sort of a song fic)) -  
  
Youko and Kuronue were running around the forest, both wildly searching for something. "Youko, are you sure she was here?" Kuronue questioned the frantic fox beside of him. Youko paused, running a clawed hand through his silver locks ((_God_, I love his hair....um...moving on)) and sighing.  
  
"I don't know where she could have gone...I told her to wait here, since those bastards from the Akumu Tribe attacked the wall around her temple..." he said, pausing to look up at Kuronue. "You do promise not to tell anyone about the temple, right? I wasn't even supposed to tell you, but you and your _damn_ hypnotic powers..."  
  
"Oh, hush. It was the only way I'd _ever_ get anything about Ai out of you," Kuronue said, rolling his eyes, "Honestly, I can't believe you didn't at least let me _meet_ her before I hypnotized you...but that aside, where do you think she is?!"  
  
"I'm right here." Both demons turned to see Ai, leaning on the bow she'd been carrying with her, her kimono tattered and her body bruised. Youko rushed forward, gathering her up in his arms and rocking her to and fro.  
  
"Ai, what happened to you?" he asked in a whisper. "Where did everyone go?"  
  
She had known it was going to happen, he knew, when she pulled back, and her eyes were steeled. "The Akumu murdered them. All of my disciples. They're dead, Youko."  
  
Kuronue gasped from behind them, and Ai continued, "There's one child...one child left out of them...Kane. Youko, I need you to find her."  
  
"Where is she?" Youko asked, knowing the child of which she spoke. The little girl had dark blue hair and light turquoise eyes and only stood to his knee. He'd seen her with Ai many times.  
  
"I'm not sure...but the Akumu will not stop until they find her and kill her, as well. _Onegai_, Youko..." He silenced her with a finger pressed to her lips, nodding.  
  
"I'll find her, and I'm sure Kuronue will help me, right, ol' buddy, ol' pal?" he asked somewhat playfully, turning to the bat demon, who nodded his head with a small, reassuring smile at Ai. The fox turned back to his priestess with a sly smile, trying to comfort her, "I promise you, Ai-chan, I will be back shortly."  
  
"I know...be careful," she whispered, not surprised when he pressed his lips to hers. Kuronue cleared his throat from behind them, mumbling for them to get a room, and Youko pulled away, turning to throw a glare at his friend before glancing back at her with an 'I love you' in his eyes. She smiled lightly, nodding at him, and muttered, "_Aishiteru_, Youko-kun." The words surprised him---she had never told him she loved him before. His grin was triumphant as he grabbed Kuronue by the back of the neck before the bat could comment on his kit-like expression and dragged him off to 'heroically' save the child Kane.  
  
Ai waited until they were gone to turn back to the trees, "I am ready now, Goshi, bring to me your wrath." A huge Akumu demon appeared as if from thin air, easily towering over her and standing to the full height of a tree beside them. She narrowed her eyes at it, prepared for what she had to do.  
  
Her spirit energy heightened, and she knew both Youko and Kuronue were aware of it, and were probably turning to come see what had happened, but her attack would be her last. This beast had taken everything from her. It was the same one that had killed her parents and family when she was young.  
  
"Ah, so you remember me, Priestess?" Goshi asked, his voice booming and sounding like several mechanic ones intertwined. ((Remember that freaking rock guardian beast guy Kurama took on? Yeah, imagine HIS voice.)) "Good, I had thought you'd forgotten..."  
  
"I have not," Ai answered ferociously, eyes lighting up with a bright golden glow that absorbed her irises and pupils and made a golden aura around her. She dropped her bow to her side, lifting her palms to the air, and muttered, "Goddesses of Light and Shadow, guide me...strike down the evil that threatens to consume."  
  
"What are you doing, Priestess?" Goshi boomed, slightly alarmed, and started to reach out to grab her before she did anything stupid. He was stopped, however, by a rainbow of light surrounding his arm, coiling up into his flesh.  
  
"Now we are bound to the same fate," Ai told him, furrowing her brow. "To save Youko, to save Kuronue and Kane, I lay down my life." She brought down one palm, and pressed it to her heart, Goshi's eyes widening as light exploded from her fingertips, into her body. It was surprisingly painless, she thought, as the light exploded from her and made a huge ball, that enveloped both demon and priestess.  
  
Youko had felt the spirit energy emitted from his beloved Ai and had turned back, Kuronue on his heels, but both were glued in their places when they saw a huge ball of blinding radiance surrounding the entire area of forest they'd left Ai in. Youko's mouth opened to cry out her name as he stepped forth, prepared to step into the light, but Kuronue knew what had happened, and wrapped an arm over Youko's chest, holding him in place. The golden eyes were wide as they watched the light grow, then dim into nothingness, leaving a patch of charred earth in its wake. Kuronue glanced at his friend, and released him, only to have the fox demon crumble to his knees, curling up, and playing his forehead onto his fists that balled up against the ground.  
  
"She knew!" he growled furiously, "She knew what would happen, and she did nothing to prevent it!"  
  
"Youko..." Kuronue had no words of comfort for his friend. He was at a loss at seeing the usually apathetic fox in tears at his feet, and at a loss at what Ai had done. He kneeled to one knee, resting a hand on the fox's shoulder. "We must find Kane for her, Youko..." he said after a length. "It's the least we can do."  
  
-  
  
Many moons had passed, and Youko had changed dramatically in front of Kuronue's eyes. The fox was more ruthless, more hostile than he had ever been before, and grew even more angry when Ai's name was mentioned. Now, the fox was sitting outside the Megumi Clan's current hideout, staring up at the full moon. He had asked to be left alone.  
  
He narrowed his golden eyes, angry with the moon for reminding him of Ai.  
  
_Give me a reason to believe that you're gone.  
I see your shadow so I know they're all wrong.  
Moonlight on the soft brown earth  
__It leads me to where you lay.  
They took you away but now I'm taking you home._  
  
He'd returned to the place with the charred earth before. That attack had devastated the earth, leaving it black and scorched, a permanent mark upon a face of beauty. He swore he could still pick up her scent there, as if she were standing in front of him, gazing at him with her loving blue eyes and her long, waist-length raven wing tresses.  
  
_I will stay here forever with you, my love.  
The softly spoken words you gave me.  
Even in death our love goes on._

He couldn't let go of her memory. And it drove him crazy that he could still smell her and could still feel her next to him when he lay in bed, restless at night. He knew, he just knew that she couldn't be gone from him forever. With this knowledge came carelessness---the same carelessness that led him to allow his partner to be killed, and the same carelessness that allowed a hunter to trap him.  
  
_Some say I'm crazy for my love, oh my love.  
But no bonds can keep me from your side, oh my love.  
They don't know you can't leave me,  
They don't hear you singing to me._  
  
In desperation to find her again, he'd found a new body to inhabit, the unborn baby of Shiori Minamino.  
  
_I will stay here forever with you, my love.  
The softly spoken words you gave me.  
Even in death our love goes on.  
_  
_And I cannot love you, anymore than I do.  
_  
((Even in Death, Evanescence...don't own it))  
  
- - -  
  
Kurama yawned as he awoke rather calmly, for the first time since he'd started having the dreams about Ai. He sat up lazily, still stiff from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position while he was watching over Asa, and looked around his room at Genkai's, still in a slight daze.  
  
_So, Youko, now I know.  
_  
_- You know what? -  
_  
_Why you did it...why you escaped the hunter to enter my body.  
_  
_- Hai, now you know. And are you really that surprised? -  
_  
_Actually, not really. I figured you loved Ai a long time ago...I just didn't know how _much_ you loved her._  
  
Youko grew quiet then. Kurama smiled, and dragged himself off the futon, reaching for the shirt he'd removed the night before to sleep more comfortably and pulling it on sluggishly. ((AAH - I'm gonna get slapped for not having him shirtless longer!))  
  
He thought about what he was going to do that day, probably a lot of it would involve checking on Asa every two minutes, and looked out the window to see that it was early afternoon. "How long did I sleep...?" he wondered aloud, narrowing his eyes, then shaking his head at himself. For the first time in a month he felt at ease about Youko's memories, now that he knew that the ruthless fox demon was really a big softy who had his love taken away from him. It was almost sweet, if it weren't so sad.  
  
He smirked at himself, running a hand through his hair, and decided to go find the others before he checked on Asa, who was probably still asleep.  
  
He found Genkai, Yusuke, Keiko, the twins, and the twins' new buddies, Jin and Touya, in the old psychic's living room, and nodded at them as he bid them good morning. "Oh, hey, fox-boy! You're awake!" Yusuke exclaimed, grinning in a way that made Kurama think he might have been spying on Keiko while she was dressing that morning or something.  
  
"Jin, Touya, I didn't know you two were coming," Kurama said in greeting, smiling at them.  
  
"Aye, we 'ad to come see the lass when we found out what'd happened to 'er, she's one o' me good buddies!" Jin explained.  
  
"I know, she's very fond of you," Kurama said, his smile becoming slightly forced. He knew that Asa didn't like like Jin, but for some reason, he was still slightly jealous of the wind demon. Then again, he was Asa's best friend---she'd said so herself. That thought brought a touch of a triumphant smirk to his lips, as he continued, "I see you two have become acquainted with Kasumi and Natsumi."  
  
"_Hai_, they were kind enough to lead us through this _Labyrinth_," Touya said calmly. ((You know, I suppose I should explain the Labyrinth joke...but if you don't get it, it's simple---the first time my friends and I saw Genkai's temple, Rachel shouted out, "It's the JAPANESE LABYRINTH!" It was so funny, it became an inside joke...weird...okay, moving on!))  
  
"Kurama, have you checked on Asa yet?" Genkai asked, as Kurama took a seat in an armchair to Yusuke and Keiko's right.  
  
"No," he said with a shake of his head, "I figured she would still be asleep."  
  
"_Aa_, grandma, you don't expect the squirt to be able to stay awake for long periods of time after what she went through," Yusuke threw a quick glare at Genkai, who merely rolled her eyes in reply.  
  
"Actually, I was surprised that she was awake at _all_ this morning," the psychic admitted. "That girl's tougher than nails. But, she is still in danger," she said, exchanging a glance with Kurama, "Which is why I'd asked Jin and Touya to come back to the human world. I would like you two, along with Kasumi and Natsumi, to keep an eye on Asa whenever you can."  
  
"Aye, that sounds like fun, don't it, lassies...and Touya?" Jin added when his friend shot him a dark glare that clearly said, "Stop flirting."  
  
"_Hai_," Kasumi answered for herself and her sister, blushing lightly as Jin grinned at her.  
  
"I hope Asa gets better soon...she can't go missing school too often," Keiko said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, then it's a good thing it's a long weekend, isn't it?" Yusuke asked, narrowing his eyes at Keiko. "God, _onna_, you're so hooked on school sometimes I think you and Kurama should be a couple."  
  
Keiko's palm promptly implanted a new red mark on Yusuke's face, as she exclaimed, "Yusuke, you're such a _ja-ku_!"  
  
Kurama sighed and settled back, watching Keiko continue to pummel Yusuke in amusement. Well, Asa now had even more bodyguards than she knew. Hopefully, it would be enough to protect her.  
  
- - -  
  
Meka- YAAY! Another chapter! Go me! Okay, now...Jin and Touya are here, too, to help me with review responses, and Touya!!  
  
Touya- ..._Aa_?  
  
Meka- Sazuka-Chan (thanks much, Sazuka, for your review!) has laid claim to you! So you're all hers! Okay?  
  
Touya- ((sweat drop)) I don't remember agreeing to this, but... ((shrugs)) Fine.  
  
Meka- Yay! KUWABARA!  
  
Kuwabara- WHAT?!  
  
Meka- ((hands him disclaimer sign)) Get back to yer post, ya big doofus.  
  
Kuwabara- ((whines))  
  
Meka- Okay, now that Melanie has updated her story ((cheers)) I've vowed to try and put two chapters of both Ebil Kitsune and AOF up, so I need to get back to work! But first, aww, Mel, it isn't supposed to be all sad and happy...wait, maybe it is?? Now I'M confused. Crud. Lol. And Chrisoriented, I was aware that you're a girl. So we're cool. Okay, g2g. See ya's!


	9. Chapter Eight Hell Hath No Fury

Just a few warnings as of now. Firstly, is not letting me upload my next Ebil Kitsune chapter and all of you have probably had some difficulties with it, as well, due to that technical error they're having. And for this treachery of the machinery uses, I felt the need to release some anger, so that took me a little while, but then I started writing this chapter of AOF, and I was happy-ish again. Although, I will MURDER my computer if I am not allowed uploading Ebil later.

Second Warning, remember the sneak peak I gave in an earlier chapter? The one of Asa slapping Kurama? Yeah, well, this is going to be a lengthy chapter that MAY involve that((cough cough hint hint)). Just warning you. Also, I PROMISE, especially to you two, Melanie and AzureDragoness, there will be more fluff in the near future...just not between Kurama and Asa. So do not kill me yet, okay?

Third Warning: If I cannot update my Ebil Kitsune story, prepare yourselves for one heck of a fight scene between Rafu and Kurama.

Fourth Warning: HOLY CRAP, dudes! Melanie, you're still my no. 1 fan, but, creepiness is, Samantha ((Kurama/is/hot)) also wants to be the no. 1 fan, and I'm gonna find myself involved in a tug-of-war contest...being the object getting tugged at! ((scared look)) Yikes! ((turns Warning Mode off and is more pleasant))

ANYWAY, here's the next chapter, which is hellishly long and took me a really long time to write and a LONGER time to UPLOAD!! ((glares at technical difficulty with ))

Chapter Eight-

Hell Hath No Fury Like Asa Discovering A Secret

This weekend was going by terribly slowly, Asa thought, sitting alone in her room later that night. Kurama had checked on her so often, that she'd finally told him that she was tired, and just wanted to take a nap. This was, of course, a lie, but it stopped her redheaded friend from visiting every three seconds, and left her with some peace. Unfortunately, she'd found that after about ten minutes of his absence, peace was boring.

So, since Genkai's temple was rather quiet and still, and Yusuke, Keiko, Kuwabara, and Shizuru had left after bidding her farewell, she had decided that, instead of peace and quiet, she'd put herself through a _tremendous_ pain by trying to sit up, then _stand_ up, by herself. Her ankle wasn't so bad anymore, so that wasn't what was so bad about having to clamber to her feet---she was just _sore_.

She had to shift herself so that she had her legs folded underneath of her to sit up properly, then with her good arm, since the other was in the cast, held the night stand and slowly pushed herself to her feet, leaning back against the wall for leverage. After many attempts at this, she finally got herself onto her feet, and was panting for breath as she leaned her weight off of the worse ankle.

She would have given a victory yell and thrown an arm up into the air to cheer if she wasn't sure that it would have exhausted what remained of her energy. But, she was resolved to walk around a little bit before she gave up. So, using the wall to lean against, she shuffled her feet a little at a time, until she reached the window seat, then she sat down and leaned back in the window, pressing her forehead to the glass. The nighttime revealed nothing but a waxing moon (((that's the crescent moon))) and a shower of stars in the sky. Asa sighed, her breath fogging up a big circle on the window.

She didn't hear the door open behind her, and didn't notice Kurama standing in the doorway. At first, when he looked at the empty futon, his eyes widened, until they landed on her sitting at the window, and he quietly sighed in relief, then his brow furrowed in surprise. How'd she get to the window in her condition?

"Asa," he said, to make known to her his presence. She turned her head to him and offered a small smile as he shut the door and walked to stand beside of her.

"Hey, Shuuichi-kun," she mumbled, turning back to look out at the darkness.

"What're you doing out of bed, and how'd you _get_ out of bed?" he inquired.

"Whoa, no twenty-one questions, dude! Firstly, I was bored, secondly, I walked...with _some_ difficulty, but not a lot, so don't give me the 'you're too weak' lecture, because I don't even know _why_ I'm too weak---none of you'll tell me."

"All you need to really know is that it was a really harsh accident. I promise, I'll tell you more when you need to know it," Kurama assured her.

"Hm, a need-to-know basis, huh?" Asa let out an amused huff of laughter. "Kinda sounds like something you would normally do, doesn't it?"

"_Hai_...sort of. Asa, are you all right? You seem..."

"Bored? Because I _am_, like I said before- probably bored enough to go strangle someone. Why?" she asked pleasantly, smiling at him and tilting her head slightly to the right. He merely looked at her for a long moment blankly, then chuckled.

"You never cease to amaze me," he finally commented, shaking his head.

"That's interesting---I never cease to amaze _me_, either!" Asa giggled. He raised an eyebrow at her, but sat down with his back to the window beside her, since there was plenty of room.

"You know, I'm going to have to make sure you're back in bed before I go," he said after a length. She nodded, an amused smile playing across her lips. "Well, you can walk, so I've seen, maybe you'll be okay to go back to school Tuesday."

"Maybe...it's a good thing we've got Monday off, though, because I definitely wouldn't be able to do much if I didn't have the extra day."

"You're starting to sound like Yusuke...he's already declared that he's going to get sick Tuesday morning and go to Dr. Arcade for a remedy."

"He'd better _not_ skip; Keiko'll have his head!" Asa said scoldingly, tsking as she shook her head. "Those two...they really just need to get married and get it over with." Kurama laughed then, lifting a hand to cover his mouth, attempting to stifle his chortles. "You know, it wasn't _that_ funny...are you on a sugar high or something?"

"No, I just overslept a _lot_," he gasped between chuckles.

"Hm, speaking of sleep...you _still_ haven't told me about that dream that was bugging you the other day," she observed, going over her memory, "Or at least, not that I can remember." Kurama's face instantly went placid, and she knew she'd just hit a still tender subject. "You don't have to, if you don't want to..." she immediately remedied her probing.

"_Iiye_, don't worry, Asa. I think the nightmares I was having are over now. There's nothing for you to worry about anymore," he admitted. She offered him a small smile.

"Okay, if you're sure. So, do you really think I'll be able to go back to school Tuesday?"

"_Hai_, I think so. I also think Jin and Touya may be visiting with you more often," Kurama admitted with a knowing smile, "As well as the twins."

"Hn, the twins have a thing for Jin and Touya, and visa versa, you know," Asa informed him wryly.

"I noticed, yes."

"Well, whatever. Do you think I can go home tomorrow?"

"Maybe. I'll ask Genkai for you later. But---..."

"But right now I need to go back to bed, so I can heal all good and proper," Asa interrupted, rolling her eyes at him. "I know, I know."

"Good that you know, because you're going _now_," he said, standing up and putting his hands on his hips with a very _big brother_ look. She giggled at him, and attempted to stand, immediately invoking a yip of pain as she stood a little too quickly, and falling forward into his chest. He caught her and held her against him for a moment longer than was necessary, before he looked down at her and rolled his eyes, "Clumsy." She was blushing terribly as he held her with an arm around her waist, then when he kneeled to sweep her up under the knees with the other arm, her eyes widened at him as she wrapped her own arms around his neck to hold herself steady.

"Wow, you must _really_ have a way with the girls, huh, Shuuichi?" she teased, inciting a blush to rise in his own cheeks as she smirked at him and he turned his sparkling emerald gaze to meet hers.

"Oh, _Iiye_, I save my charms all for _you_, Asa-chan," he teased right back, then, when they realized what he'd just said, both blushed furiously, and went quiet as he hurriedly carried her back to the futon and tucked her in. He muttered a quick, "_Oyusami nasai_," and instinctively pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, before leaving in a cursory, flushed still with embarrassment.

Asa waved blankly after him, although the door was already shut and he was already halfway down the hall, then shook her head and smirked to herself, "Okay, now _I'm_ the love-dazed ninny...ugh." She shook her head at herself a second time, and pulled a pillow from under her head to use it to cover her face so she could groan loudly. That boy was really infuriating sometimes.

-

"So I'm okay to go?!" Asa asked excitedly the next morning, looking up at Genkai hopefully as the old woman proceeded to remove her bandages to check all the wounds, then nod when most of them seemed to be healing nicely.

"_Hai_, you can go home, but you must promise to stay in bed until you return to school Tuesday," Genkai said sternly.

"I promise, I promise!" Asa restrained herself from jumping up and down like a little kid, since that would just look plain silly since she was only _barely_ managing to sit up against all the pillows that were still piled behind her and was entangled in a large pile of blankets.

"Fine, Shuuichi can take you home after he gets here," Genkai stood up, turning to the door, where Jin, Touya, Natsumi, and Kasumi stood. "Will you four be able to keep an eye on her until he returns?"

"_Hai_," they all answered in unison.

"...Would you _please_ stop doing that?!" Asa begged, lifting her cast-up arm as best she could to lay her hands together in a praying pose and letting her face grow to a puppy-dog one. Jin laughed at her as Genkai left with a shake of her head.

"Aw, is Asa-lass gettin' a wee bit tired of our prattle?"

"Nope, just your _amalgamated _prattle!" she corrected, giggling at Jin's perplexed expression due to her use of high-class vocabulary. "It _means_ your unified prattle---the way you talk in unison?" she simplified, raising an eyebrow at him. He finally nodded and made a guttural noise of understanding.

"Well, you'd best get ready," Natsumi took over the conversation expertly, "We'll go wait for Shuuichi to get here."

Asa nodded as they exited the room, each waving or nodding their own goodbyes and Jin doing a little jig for her as he backed out. She raised an eyebrow after them and palmed her forehead with an air of what could be called a mixture of disbelief and fatigue. It had already been a long day---why did everyone have to keep making it last longer? Glancing at her clock, she groaned---it wasn't even _noon_ yet.

_He'd better be here by now if he knows what's good for him..._ she thought, scowling at the window which revealed nothing but a rising sun that was already high past the mountains in the horizon. _Seriously, that boy is only allowed sleeping in once every blue moon---if I found out he slept in _today_ of all days..._ Her eyebrow twitched as she closed her eyes and raised a fist in a threat to an invisible Shuuichi.

Her eyes popped open again long enough to make sure she was alone and hadn't made a fool of herself by threatening someone who wasn't even _there_, but she was assured by the emptiness of other persons in the room, and rolled her eyes at herself, reaching for her clothes, that had been mended and washed by Yukina. After she was ready, she tried to limp out of her room, using the wall as a support like she had before. And she did pretty dang well too, that is, until she entered the Labyrinth of Hell. Her eyes widened as she glimpsed at the three halls before her, one to the right of her door, one to the left, and once directly across. They seemed to go on and on and twist into other halls, one giant maze that she wasn't going to be able to find her way through, that much she knew for sure.

"You look a little lost, and you've only just left your room." The familiar, calm voice made her narrow her eyes as she looked up at the redhead who stood beside her.

"It's about _time_ you got here, Shuuichi!" Asa exclaimed in annoyance, as he chuckled and looped an arm around her to help her find her way through the Labyrinth. They soon found themselves out of the maze, and in the front room of the temple. Asa would have cheered on sight of the outside world had Kurama not been holding her steady.

"So, are you all set to go home? Where are Natsumi, Kasumi, Jin, and Touya?"

"They're _supposed_ to be waiting for _you_...but I guess they went off somewhere..." A slow, mischievous, even devilish grin spread across her face, and made him back away slightly as he eyed her warily.

"I've seen that look before..."

"And you know what it means!" she finished for him, smirking evilly.

"Yeah, I do...crap, you're going to make _me_ help you in this little matchmaking crusade you're going on, aren't you?"

"Well, duh!" she said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes at him. "Come on, just take me home already so I can be in my own room and not be in this place anymore..."

"Okay, okay...but I'd feel better if I knew where those four were..." He was promptly elbowed by the young girl beside him.

"Stop worrying about it. I can take care of myself, I don't need babysitters. And _yes_, I already know that that's what Genkai wanted them to do---keep an eye on me, that is," she said upon seeing his surprised expression. "You all think you can keep secrets from the Master, but the Master knows _all_," she continued, in a _very_ bad 'Kung Fu Master' accent.

"...Right...okay. My car's out front...but I don't think you'll be able to handle all those stairs."

"Yeah...there _are_ a crapload of those, aren't there?" Asa asked nervously, a sweat drop appearing on the side of her head as she remembered all the stairs one had to climb to reach Genkai's temple. "So, how'm I getting down the stair master of Japan's finest?"

"I may have to carry you," he admitted sheepishly, his blush evident even as he ducked his head to hide it.

"Fine by me...just don't drop me," she warned. Nodding to assure her that he wouldn't, he scooped her up in the quickly-growing-familiar fashion, exiting the temple and carefully making his way down the many steps to where his car was parked outside the temple walls. He adjusted her long enough to open the door, and sat her in the passenger's seat, earning himself a glare that clearly said, "I could have done that myself, you know." Smiling at her somewhat sheepishly for the second time in less than five minutes, he closed the door gently, and hurried around to the other side of the car.

"Your father was very anxious to see you when last I spoke to him," he informed her. "He'll be glad to have you home."

"I'll be glad to _be_ home!" she exclaimed. "Seriously, it's _bad_ when you're so bored you spend your entire afternoon talking to birds and making up songs in your head. At _least_ you could have brought me a sketchpad and some pencils, Shuuichi!"

"I am truly sorry for such a tragedy as your boredom, Asa, but this really isn't the time to scold me about not remedying it," he replied, throwing her a narrowed-eyed look that screamed, "Stop acting like a baby."

"You know, you can be a real butthead sometimes," she commented, raising an eyebrow and leaning back to cross her arms over her chest, glaring evenly at him.

"...Did...you just call me a _butthead_?" he asked, glancing at her quizzically.

"_Hai_, I did! Got a problem with it, pretty boy?"

"...Pretty boy?" he repeated, his clueless look remaining on his face.

"You know, you keep your face like that long enough, it might get _stuck_ someday!"

"...I'm going to ignore everything you've said in the past five minutes and just concentrate on getting you home, how does that sound?" he asked, plastering a fake smile on his face to cover his perplexed expression. Her eyebrow arched higher, and she nodded once, turning her gaze to look out the window as he pulled out of his parking spot and headed toward her house. This kid was seriously going to drive him crazy, he could foresee it.

-

The weekend passed unusually slowly. After Kurama had taken her home, Asa had gotten better rather quickly---mostly thanks to her father's medical experience and constant care---and he and her four new watchdogs stopped by every now and then; 'every now and then' meaning once every other hour. He was really following through with his promise not to let _anything_ happen to her again, but she was quickly growing tired of all the attention she was getting, so by the time Monday got there, she'd locked Kurama, Jin, Touya, Natsumi, and Kasumi out of her house, saying that she was only going to sleep the day away and there was no reason for them to come over to check on her.

Her father had left early that morning, having been called into the hospital, so the house was all hers for the day...not that she could fully enjoy it, because she was still _barely_ able to amble to and fro as she pleased, let alone walk up and down the flight of stairs it would take for her to go from he room to the downstairs portion of the house. Her father had put a mini-refrigerator in her room in case she was hungry or thirsty, and had left a whole bunch of snacks on her desk, so she _would_, at least, be allowed to walk around her room.

In all of her time in this room, she'd never really taken to getting to know what it looked like. After _this_ weekend, she could tell someone every feature of it after being away from it for a month. She looked up at it again from her bed, just to make sure it was still the same. Books were piled on the floor, since she'd long since run out of room on her large white bookshelf that was in the 'office' section of the room, which was off to the left. The bookshelf stood with its back to the room, making a sort-of wall, which hid her desk and school work.

The right side of her room, the side she was obviously on, held her four-post canopy bed---that was also white, with a dark blue-colored lace canopy, a white dresser and large mirror that hung above it---the mirror was covered with pictures of her friends and completely void of its purpose, a 'sitting area' with a small love seat and armchair, both blue, that were shaped into an L around the entertainment center, that held her stereo, TV, and VCR/DVD player. A few random shelf units here and there held her various knick-knacks from her and her father's travels around Japan and China.

Her walls were all a mural---of a forest. Lush green plants and lively-colored flowers; mostly roses, decorated every aspect of her walls, all painted by her own hand. One half of the walls were in the daylight time of a forest, the other half were based on the nighttime. The ceiling, designed with the same day/night transition in mind, was half sky blue, a few random clouds here and there, and half dark velvet, with silver stars twinkling around. In the center of it---where a light should have been, but was removed and replaced with many, _many_ lamps---was a circle that was half a sun, half a moon.

"Okay, enough studying my room...it's going to get _really_ monotonous." Wondering what she wanted to do was one thing, but when Asa heard the doorbell ring, and thought that it could be one of her friends disobeying her, wondering how she was going to a) get down the stairs and b) kill whoever it was on the other side of the door in her current condition was a completely different thing as she stumbled out into the hall and stood at the top of the staircase. The doorbell rang again. "I'M COMING!" she shouted loud enough for someone about fifty miles away to hear. The doorbell didn't ring again. She smirked, staring down the stairs and imagining all possible things that could go wrong going wrong. "Okay...now...okay...how'm I gonna do this...? Oh, right!" She leaned most of her weight on the banister, and let herself slide down that, her feet barely touching the stairs, until she hit the post at the end of the banister.

"Yay! I got _down_! ...The real trouble's gonna be in going back _up_..." She shook her head, and hobbled to the door, her limp still rather obvious. Her arm that was in a cast ((the broken one)) was hindering her movements, as well, for it was the hand she wrote with, and she had instinctively reached for the doorknob with it. Wincing when she realized her stupidity, she got the doorknob with her _good_ arm.

"Heeeeeello---! ...." She looked around after she'd opened the door and exclaimed the salutation, but found that no one was there. An irritated ­­((¬.¬)) look appeared on her face as she glanced around, and she sighed. Then, when her eyes fell to the floor of the porch, they caught onto a manila envelope that was laying there. It said in big bold letters:

To: Miss Asa Ichazuki  
114 Deishi Street

She raised an eyebrow at it, and stooped over to pick it up and bring it inside. It was weighted by something, felt like maybe a video tape or something. She had no clue otherwise what it was, and wasn't going to wait to find out. As soon as she reached her father's office on the first floor and grabbed the letter opener off his desk, she opened the package and dumped its contents onto said desk, revealing a video tape as she'd thought, and a letter. She picked up the letter first.

_Miss Ichazuki,_

_Ohayo. I hope you are feeling better. This tape was brought to you in hopes that you would soon discover who you are...by knowing who those closest to you are. Please watch the tape, and in so doing...start on the journey to who you truly are._

It wasn't signed. She eyed it curiously for several moments, thoughts that this whole thing was a big joke from Yusuke or something. Then, it occurred to her, that he wasn't exactly one for pranks like this. He liked picking on Keiko, but that was only because she used her knowledge of _him_ to her advantage all the time. Pranks about who someone really was weren't really his style, and whoever wrote the note sounded a lot more educated, like Shuuichi. And he _definitely_ wouldn't be dumb enough to pull a stunt like this---so it was almost doubtless that it was authentic, and the writer of the letter really did wish for her to watch the tape.

So, with a shrug, she took the tape and put it into the VCR her father had in his office, turning on the TV and sitting down at his desk to watch it. What she saw, made her eyes widen. For there was her best friend on the screen, with Hiei and another man who called himself Gouki, all three talking about demons and thieves and the detective---who turned out to be Yusuke.

As she watched her friends' story unfold on the tape, she wondered what in the hell was going on. This _definitely_ had to be a joke. No doubt about it. There was no _way_ her beloved Shuuichi was really a demon named Youko Kurama, no way Yusuke was some sort of resurrected Spirit Detective, no way Botan could be a ferry girl for the River Styx, no DAMN way Kuwabara could actually make a sword out of his energy, no way her other friends were also demons...well, except maybe Hiei...

Then, it all started to click. The accident everyone refused to tell her about...the long absence of her friends that was undoubtedly the time they spent at the Dark Tournament...Genkai's Labyrinth of Hell...

Flames could not have been produced from a dragon's breath such that were coming from Asa's eyes as she realized that she'd been lied to by those she'd trusted most. The phone rang on her desk. She furiously grabbed it. "_Nani_?!" she growled.

"Whoa, _ohayo_ to you, too!" Umi's voice came from the other end of the phone. Asa's ferocity was not to be assuaged, however, by even the only friend who didn't keep any secrets from her.

"Umi, this isn't really the time, I---!"

"Asa, Nanna just called me." It wasn't really public knowledge, but Asa and Umi were cousins---their mothers were sisters. Asa's brow furrowed, and she quieted to listen to Umi. "She would like us to go visit. Just you and me. Do you have any clue why?"

"_Iiye_," Asa responded with a shake of her head, though she knew that Umi wouldn't be able to see. "I don't know, though, Umi...I'm still like, half-lame here. You should've seen how long it took me to get downstairs..."

"You went _downstairs_?!" Umi demanded, her voice loud enough to make Asa's eardrum burst. Asa held the phone as far away from her ear as her arm would stretch, listening to Umi holler, "YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE GOING UP AND DOWN THOSE STAIRS, ASA ICHAZUKI! I AM _SO_ CALLING SHUUICHI TO COME OVER THERE AND---!!!"

"NO, you're _not_," Asa pulled the phone back to her ear as she interrupted Umi's outburst. "I don't think I can look him in the eye right now without going for his throat."

Umi gasped, "Asa! What'd he do?! _Nani_, did he get back with Maya or what's-her-name again? ((A/N: OMFG! Everyone, did you KNOW that Kurama had a girlfriend or something the WHOLE DAMN TIME?! I only JUST FOUND OUT! Due to some Manga readers that are buddies of mine...her name's Maya. Dun worry, though, she's NOT going to be an issue in the A/K pairing!)) Is _that_ why you're pissed off at him?"

"No. It's not that. He doesn't even talk to her anymore. He just...he kept a huge secret from me, Umi." Damn it, there were tears in her eyes now. _Kuso_, _kuso_, _kuso_.

Umi, not needing her to go on any further since she now knew that it was really serious, merely spoke, "Okay, well, Uncle Jeri already said you could go, so pack your things...we're leaving tomorrow after school."

"Okay. Good. Because I still have something that I need to do..."

-

Kurama came into school rather worried about Asa. He hadn't been able to check on her all of Monday, and she hadn't called him that morning like she'd promised, nor had she waited for him to arrive so he could walk with her to school, as was routine. Despite his friends all teasing him since his arrival, he watched the doorway from where they were standing with a worried glint in his emerald gaze, craning his neck every time he thought he caught a flash of black hair or blue eyes.

When Asa _did_ make her appearance, she caught all the eyes of the group, especially with Kurama's sharp intake of breath. Her hair wasn't as shiny as it usually was, and was pulled into a twisted bun, her eyes were sunken, saddened, as if she'd lost her best friend, and her face was definitely twelve shades lighter than normal, her cast arm hanging limply in the sling, the other arm holding a satchel that held her crapload of books. She trudged up the hall, and didn't even seem to notice them, until Yusuke finally called, "Hey, squirt! Can't you say hello?!"

Two pain-filled, flaming ice blue eyes were steely as they looked Yusuke's way, and a collective quiet gasp could be heard as Asa glared evenly at him. "Whoa...okay... _Someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the bed..."

"Asa..." Kurama went up to Asa, taking her arm to turn her toward him gently. "_Daijobu_?"

"I'm just _fine_," she hissed, pulling her arm out of his grasp and turning away to walk toward her locker. His brow knitted together, in slight annoyance, and he walked with her, speeding up his pace so he could turn around in front of her. She stopped before she ran into him, and glared up at him evenly.

"What is _wrong_ with you today? You're not acting like yourself," he said, his voice betraying his concern.

_CRACK._

Kurama's eyes were wide, as he stepped backward and lifted a hand to the spot on his cheek where Asa's palm had connected. The entire group was staring at the display, completely boggled by her behavior and by the fact that a _girl_ just slapped him, the King of Being Loved by Girls. "Asa, that was so seriously not called for," Kuwabara started, but Yusuke held his arm, looking closely at Asa's face. They all followed his gaze to see that tears were brimming her eyes as she returned the stare Kurama graced her with.

"That was for not telling me to begin with, _Kurama_." The name was spoken as if it were poison escaping her lips. Kurama's eyes widened further, in surprise, as did those of their friends. Asa brushed by him, running toward her class, despite the sudden whispers all the fans of Shuuichi Minamino sent following her. Kurama stared into empty space for a long few moments, before he blinked, and turned to the others, giving a rather pathetic attempt at a smile.

"Well, _that_ might have been better," he commented dryly.

"How'd she find out...?" Yusuke asked, turning to Botan, who shrugged in reply.

"This is _completely_ over my head," she told him honestly, then turned to the window, to see Hiei standing outside in the tree. Her light violet eyes silently asked him a question, to which he responded with a simple nod before he disappeared in a flash. He knew where Asa had gone, and it wasn't to her homeroom.

It was to the one class to which she knew she could go whenever she had a problem, and no one would bother her---not even Ms. Rei would ask any questions, but simply allow the girl to stay in the room all day, since she had been friends with Asa's mother and was her godmother. It wasn't exactly against school rules, since Ms. Rei was on Asa's emergency information, and she would be allowed to keep the student with her until she felt better. Her art room was always open to her, especially since it wasn't Friday and there were no other art classes during the week.

He was relieved to see that there was an open window, so he could listen to Asa's conversation with Ms. Rei. The teacher was rather surprised, when Asa burst through the door in tears, shutting it and leaning against it, then looking up at her godmother and hurrying across the room into Cho Rei's waiting arms.

"Asa, what on Earth---?" Cho started, hugging Asa to her in a maternal way. Hiei's eyes narrowed---he hated to see any girl cry, although he would never admit it, and seeing one cry that was almost like a little sister to him was even worse.

Asa sobbed for many moments, until, finally, she said quietly, though both Cho and Hiei could hear it, "I'm going to Ireland for a few weeks, Daibo-san. Nanna asked Umi and I to go. But I don't think I want to come back."

"_Nani_, _naze_?" Cho asked, furrowing her brow as she pushed Asa away gently, to be able to see her face.

"Because...he didn't tell me something." Hiei knew who 'he' was, though Cho's face was perplexed by Asa's admission. Silently, the demon skulked away from the window, puzzled as to how she could have known. He was pretty sure that, as soon as school let out, he and his friends would be heading to a certain prince of hell to find out why.

- - -

HOLY CRAP! I did NOT just do that! ...Okay, so I _did_. But, yeah. Anyway. I'll do the responses myself, today, since the dudes are all gaping at me like I'm crazy. -.-;

((ahem))

Melanie-chan: No matter WHAT goes down with the #1 fan tug-of-war, we love you! And we ALL thank you for continuing to review, and I think I speak for Kurama, too, when I say, UPDATE SOON!

AzureDragoness: Hey, evil's just as good as fluff! Lol! Thanks for the compliment! And like I said before, there WILL be more fluff! Just, you know, no A/K fluff for awhile!

Kei: ((sweatdrop)) Uh, be careful with him! He may be a wind demon, but he'll need more than ONE wind with you, obviously. Lol

Sazuka-Chan- Whoa, lol, yeah, you got Touya. Have fun! And hey, we're the same age!

Sun Priestess- Thanks! I take pride in my um...verbose vocabulary...((sweatdrop again)) and I'm glad you like the stories! Now, if will just let me upload Ebil...

Okay, byes, everybody!

Next Chapter: Time Apart


	10. Chapter Nine Time Apart

HOLY SHIT!!! I just was watching the one Taboo episode of YYH while I started writing this---and Kurama scared the SHIT out of me with his game thing!!!!!! I wonder what face he made to make Ogre, Koenma, and Kaito laugh so hard? Whatever, he's still going to get punished for scaring me like he did...I was freaking out. You all know how it gets...he was all, "If I lose, you can have _my_ soul!"

And I was all, "WTF ARE YOU DOING YOU MORON!?!?!?!?!"

But I had faith in him ((sweatdrops, and is still sweating a downpour from nervousness over Kurama's safety)) and he won.

Kurama- Aww, it's great to see you had faith in little old me...

Don't get used to it...and by the _way_... ((evil death glare of doom))

Kurama- ...((sweatdrop))

DON'T YOU EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN, DO YOU HEAR?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Chapter Nine- Time Apart

It was rather an unexpected, and _most_ unwanted, surprise, when at approximately three thirty in the afternoon, Koenma found himself facing four _very_ unhappy teenage boys, all of which had been giving him pretty damn evil glares since their arrival. "How the hell did Asa find out about us?!" was probably the first thing spat at him by the Spirit Detective himself.

"Uh........" Lost for words, he stared at Yusuke as he ranted about what a "stupid toddler" he was and how _he_ wouldn't have let a mortal girl find out about anything if _he_ were running the "show". "Hold on a second, Yusuke, what are you talking about?"

"Asa _knows_! She called Kurama by his name!" Kuwabara hollered in Koenma's face. The toddler glared at him, wiping spit from his face.

"I asked for the news...not the weather. And as to how she found out your secret, how am _I_ supposed to know?" he asked, giving them an "I'm just a _baby_!" look.

"Actually," Botan mused aloud, "Even if _you_ don't know; I think you know someone who _does_, Koenma, sir."

"Who...? My father?"

"Bingo!" She clapped triumphantly for him, since he was staring at her evenly, a completely dumbfounded expression on his face. "So call up Daddy Dearest and find out what's going on!"

If looks could kill, she would have died a horrible, gruesome, painful death...a very _slow_ one. "Botan, how in all the River Styx do you expect me to just ring up King Yamma ((that's how you spell it, right?)) and ask him what's going on? He's a busy man, my father."

Finally, Hiei spoke up, "Asa is going to Ireland soon, and she said she does not want to come back. We need to know the means by which she found out about us, so Fox can construct an apology that will keep her here."

They all glanced at the fire demon rather quizzically, then at Kurama, who shrugged. "If it makes _him_ happy," he gestured at Hiei, who glared at him, "and if it appeases _her_ ire, I'll _grovel_," he admitted.

"Whoa, Fox-boy's really in deep," Yusuke commented sarcastically. Kurama glared at him pointedly, and he continued, turning to Koenma, "So, are you going to call your pops or do I have to do it _for_ you?"

"I'll do it," he responded quickly, "Lord knows what _you'd_ say...OGRE!" he bellowed then, making Yusuke fall backward onto his backside, rubbing his ears that he exclaimed he was _sure_ were now deafened, as Koenma smirked down at him, then furrowed his brow, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot impatiently until the big blue ogre came running.

"Yes, Koenma, sir?!" he asked excitedly.

"Get me my special phone...the one I use to call my father," Koenma commanded. "And make it fast. My patience is running thin."

"...Okay, sir!" A quick wait and an annoyed, "Hn," from Hiei later, the phone was sat on the desk, having no need for any connection to the phone plug that most people would see in the wall of a place, since it was a magical connection. With a nervous gulp, the toddler picked up the phone and dialed his father's number.

"...Um...hello?" he spoke in a tentative voice, that made almost everyone in the room snort in amusement. "...Yeah...it's me, Father...um...yeah...Uh...No, everything's okay...I didn't screw up, no...um...yeah, I've gotten that done...Why did I call then? ...Well, I wanted to ask you something." A pause. A LONG one. Everyone exchanged glances when Koenma fell over, his face completely white. "I DID NOT!" he cried into the phone, "You tell her that she's being a jerk! ...Oh...no, sorry...I didn't mean to yell in your ear..." He sweatdropped, picking himself up off the desk and sitting cross-legged on it. "No...Father, seriously, I need to ask you something!"

Another long pause. "Yes, sir, I understand that...no sir...no. I won't do it again. Okay, can I ask you now?" Shorter pause. "Yay!" Another short pause as Koenma did a victory dance that made everyone stare at him as if he were crazy. "...Um, sorry," he said, finally getting to the point, "It's about one of the Spirit Detective's---no, sir, he doesn't do all _my_ work---friends. Asa Ichazuki. Does the name ring a bell?"

A pause that was ensued by Yamma yelling, "YOU KNOW ASA ICHAZUKI!?" on the other end of the line made them all exchange a slightly concerned glance. Yamma's voice quieted, and he continued to speak to Koenma, who listened with a raised eyebrow.

Fear was written on the toddler's face for a moment, and he swallowed hard. "I understand, Father...I won't meddle any further into _their_ business. She will be forgotten. Thank you." He hung up abruptly, turning back to the impatient Reikai Tentai plus Botan, and raised an eyebrow, lacing his fingers together as he sat down in his chair and resting his chin on them. "Well, I'm not allowed getting involved in this...and neither are any of you. Apparently, a higher power than even my father has spoken that they wish for Asa to go to Ireland, regardless of how she gets there. It's out of my hands."

"A higher power than your father?!" Kuwabara demanded, "Who could be higher than your _father_?!"

"The gods," Koenma answered simply, turning the chair away. "The entire Kamekai ((Divine World)) is against anything intruding on Asa's trip. And unless any of you wants to take _them_ on, a battle which you'll surely lose, I don't think we can say much to argue against their wishes."

"Wait a second...I didn't know there was a _Kamekai_!" Botan exclaimed.

"Well...there is. It's the home of the so-called Gods, who're _really_ only immortals so powerful that they were deemed gods. They're kind of like Elders, each gifted with strengths of a certain element."

"...Okay. Weird."

"So, what you're saying is, we have to let her leave, and hope that she decides to come back?" Kurama asked anxiously.

"_Hai_. That is what I'm saying, unfortunately." All was silent then, as each of them turned to their own thoughts. Kamekai...what connection could the gods have to little Asa? As good a question as it seemed, it was the furthest one from their minds at the moment. What would happen with Asa...? Would she ever forgive them? These were the ones more to the point of their concern.

And their concern was reflected, in the girl in question, who had some of her own worries as she flew toward Ireland, face pressed to the glass to get last glimpses of the home she thought she'd known...and wondering after the people she had also thought she'd known...

-

"_Deagh-bheatha_!" The Gaelic speech caught both Umi and Asa off guard. As they were standing in the air port, _completely_ surrounded by hordes of people, Umi dressed in a red button-up blouse with her dark auburn hair tied up in a bun and her weirdly-colored honey eyes watching Asa as the girl, who had been _forced_ by her cousin to wear a rather snug black sleeveless turtleneck with a short pleated black skirt. Umi had said she'd wished Shuuichi could see Asa now...Asa had hit her on the back of the head with a book.

When they both heard the familiar Gaelic term for "Welcome," however, they were distracted from their staring at how frigging crowded the air port could get to look at their Irish grandmother, who stumbled up to them, grinning like she'd just gotten a serious birthday gift. "_Brenna_, _Edana_!" They were gathered into a swift hug, both glancing nervously at one another for their grandmother's use of their Gaelic nicknames.

Enda Cairine stepped back from her granddaughters, releasing them to give them a good look-over. Her eyebrow arched and her lips formed a firm line of disapproval when she eyed the girls' choice of outfit, her own being a dark emerald dress complete with bodice that had so many folds it made her look plump, despite the fact that she was a rather slender woman, especially for her sixty-five years. Her graying hair, that was the same dark auburn as Umi's, was pulled back into a French twist, which was odd, since they usually saw her wearing some sort of strict hairstyle, like a tight bun. Her strangely-colored blue eyes that reminded them often of sapphires fell upon the girls' faces, and she smiled.

"My, aren't you two a sight? I see neither of you are my _caileags_ anymore..."

"We are, Nanna!" Umi protested, grabbing their grandmother's hand in both of hers. "You know we'll always be your little girls, isn't that right, Asa?"

"_Hai_!"

"_D_?" Enda asked, raising an eyebrow at the unfamiliar language.

"Uh...I mean, yes, that's right..." Asa corrected herself sheepishly, blushing and scratching the back of her head.

"Brenna, your arm..." Enda observed in a voice barely above a whisper, looking down at the cast. Asa pulled it back behind her, out of her grandmother's view, her cheeks flushed again, but for a different reason.

"It's nothing, Nanna. _Diobair_." Enda's eyes narrowed, then she nodded.

"Well, let's get you two home! Edana, get your things and stop flirting with those boys," she scolded, upon seeing Umi eyeing a group of Irish boys at the doorway. Their grandmother, though she spoke mostly Gaelic, was an Irish girl all the way. Her mother had been Gaelic, and had married her Irish father, resulting in her Irish birth and upbringing. Gaelic just seemed to be her favorite language, since it was more 'understandable' than Irish. She shuffled ahead of them, glancing over her shoulder with chastening looks every now and then to keep Umi from meandering off somewhere.

Asa kept her eyes glued to the ground, unaware of the conversation her grandmother was having with Umi. Why had her grandmother worn the emerald dress? Why hadn't she decided to wear a black one, or a gray one...? Emerald...the color was a curse as of the past few days. ((Wonder why???))

She was quiet the whole way to the farmhouse that her grandmother lived on with several of her helpers, who lived in smaller guest cottages along the seventeen acre patch of heaven that Enda had acquired from her husband after his death. Everything was the same as the last time she'd visited; the small white cottages looking lively and bustling with activity, the larger crème colored farmhouse with dark blue trimming radiant amongst everyone that was running around.

The three of them stepped out of Enda's P.O.S....err, uh, rickety old car, and Enda ushered the girls inside, escorting each to her room while they were there. Umi's was a bright pink color, the room she'd always gotten, and one that had been her mother's as a child, and Asa's...Asa couldn't even muster up the strength to _act_ surprised when her grandmother led her into a room that was undoubtedly her own mother's once upon a time. Everything was as in a Gaelic fairy tale---her mother, Aingeal, Tenshi in Japanese, had been a hopeless romantic, and had grown up pretending she was a princess. There was a tiara on her dresser, and a closet full of dresses that she'd worn growing up, and books all over the place, from Cinderella to Snow White, her mother had collected them all as a girl.

"Do you like it?" her grandmother inquired quietly.

Asa, knowing that this was the first time _anyone_ been allowed to stay in this room since her mother died, and that no one besides her mother had used it before that, nodded, grinning as she turned to Enda, "It's _coimhlion_."

"I'm glad you think so," Enda admitted, a smile gracing her lips. "You'd best get unpacked, Brenna." Asa nodded, reaching for her bag, and coincidentally and ironically, a picture fell out of the front pocket---of herself and Kurama. Before she could snatch it up, Enda leaned down to retrieve it, taking note of her granddaughter's flushed face. She observed the picture for quite a long moment, before she commented, "_Dáicheil_, very _dáicheil_." Asa's blush worsened, if it were possible, as her grandmother forked over the picture with a knowing smile.

"Not really..." she mumbled in protest, "He's just...very photogenic."

"I'm sure that's all it is," Enda agreed with a small nod of her head. "I'll leave you to unpack...be sure to come down for dinner before six thirty, though...I know how you are about your art and not leaving it to even eat..." Enda gave a reassuring smile to Asa, who nodded and turned away, then left the room.

Asa looked at the picture that, until her grandmother shut the door behind her, had been held to her heart with her good hand. Her smile was sadly nostalgic as she glimpsed the familiar emerald eyes and the flaming hair. On the day the picture was taken, he'd offered her a piggy-back ride, and she'd accepted, wrapping her arms around his neck and hopping up as his arms hooked under her knees. Thankfully she'd been wearing bell bottoms that day instead of a skirt, for the rather lecherous Yusuke had been there, and was the one who, after shouting, "SAY CHEESE, YOU TWO!" had taken the picture. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck, and her cheek had been snuggled against his, both grinning.

With a sad sigh, she put the picture away, mumbling, "If only you had trusted me enough to tell me..."

-

"Fox, you need to get that stupid frown off your face and focus," Hiei scolded, "We're not here to watch you mope around..." Kurama lifted his eyes to meet the ruby ones, and glowered at his friend.

"I'm _not_ moping," he argued stubbornly, even though they could all see that, despite his and Hiei's sparring match that Kuwabara and Yusuke were scrutinizing very annoyingly, he wasn't as focused as he could have been, and his movements were sloppy, which was unforgivable, for him. He was forever the careful, decisive one out of the lot of them; always calculating and deliberate. So, watching him act so foolishly in a simply training session was rather unnerving for them all.

"Okay, let's take a break," Yusuke, the ever-forgiving of his friends---minus Kuwabara, Genkai, and Koenma---said.

"Yes, let's," Hiei grumbled.

"Oh, _yurusai_, Hiei," Kurama grumbled. Surprised by his boldness, Hiei glanced up to throw a pointed glare at him, then turned away. Kurama's bitterness was becoming quite annoying to the Jiganshi. He was nothing like his usual self.

_Maybe because his 'usual self' has always been comforted by the fact that he was alone...until _she_ came along._

It was true. Kurama had _liked_ being alone, with few friends and no love life of which to speak, and then...he'd met Asa. For some reason, she'd made his humanity grow a little more each day, until he _thirsted_ for the presence of those he called friends. He had grown _soft_, to say the least. Once, he'd been considered a quite malicious, sly King of Thieves, and now...he was like a kit who'd found a new best friend. Or one of those _ningen _children that had what Yusuke called a case of 'puppy love'. Annoying, indeed.

"It looks like it's gonna rain," Kuwabara commented stupidly, eyes cast upward at the dark gray clouds that loomed in the sky above.

"_Aa_...we'd better get inside. Hiei, Kurama, you comin'?" Yusuke asked, eyeing both of them rather tensely. The dispute that they'd been having seemed to cause for some concern in the spirit detective. He hadn't truly seen the friends argue before. It was a bit awkward.

"_Hai_," Kurama answered, uncharacteristically tersely. Hiei just offered a nod, and followed them toward Genkai's temple with narrowed eyes, his hands shoved into his pockets as was usual.

Inside wasn't much less dreary than out. Botan's usually bubbly self was sitting quite solemnly beside Yukina at the table in the living room, both sipping their tea silently. Genkai didn't speak when the four boys entered the room; she was sitting as if in meditation off in the corner, eyes closed, brow furrowed. Keiko sat with Shizuru on the couch, both exchanging somewhat sad glances. As they had promised, Jin, Touya, and the twins had kept a diligent watch over Asa, and had even followed her to Ireland, so they were nowhere to be found.

_We walked the narrow path, beneath the smoking skies.  
__Sometimes you can barely tell the difference between darkness and light.  
__Do you have faith in what we believe?  
__The truest test is when we cannot,  
__When we cannot see._

It was annoyingly quiet in the temple.

The silence was so deafening that Kurama excused himself, claiming he had a headache and was going out to watch the rain and get some fresh air. He found himself in the misty garden that separated the temple from the forest behind it. ((You remember the one...it was like a maze that Yusuke had to get through? Yeah, that must have been one annoying son of a bi---...um...never mind.))

_I hear pounding feet in the streets below,  
__And the women crying,  
__And the children know that there's something wrong,  
__And it's hard to believe that love will prevail._

The roses looked sad, in the rain. Their delicate petals curled inward, as if to protect their heart from the chill that came with the damp weather. The red color they usually had seemed duller, almost a brown that was both discontenting and downright cruel to even look at. And, as usual, the other flowers in that garden weren't even close to the roses, no matter how sad they looked.

_Oh, it won't rain all the time.  
__The sky won't fall forever.  
__And though the night seems long,  
__Your tears won't fall forever._

Green emerald eyes turned upward to meet the clouds as the first raindrops started to fall. They were misted over with sadness. _I'm so sorry, Asa..._

_Oh, when I'm lonely,  
I lie awake at night,  
__And I wish you were here.  
__I miss you.  
__Can you tell me,  
__Is there something more to believe in?  
__Or is this all there is?_

_I should have told her. I should have told her so long ago. Maybe then she would have stayed. But...why would the gods from Kamekai want her in Ireland?_ The question had nagged at him ever since Asa's departure, though it was a lesser of his worries. _What could Asa have to do with the gods? The only humans that have something to do with gods are..._

His eyes widened.

_In the pounding feet,  
__In the streets below,  
__And the window breaks  
__And a woman falls,  
__There's something wrong,  
__It's so hard to believe that love will prevail._

"The only humans that have something to do with gods are priestesses," he whispered under his breath, the realization hitting him like a brick wall. Could Asa she really be a priestess?

_Oh, it won't rain all the time.  
__The sky won't fall forever.  
__And though the night seems long,  
__Your tears won't fall,  
__Your tears won't fall,  
__Your tears won't fall forever._

_- Shuuichi, you could probably answer that question on your own...if you cannot, you're truly unfit as a body. - _

_So you're saying...she _is_ a priestess?_ His brow furrowed as he looked back around at the garden botanicals that surrounded him.

_- I am saying nothing. - _Youko's voice was annoyed.

"Fox."

_Last night I had a dream.  
__You came into my room,  
__You took me into your arms.  
Whispering and kissing me,  
__And telling me to still believe.  
__But then the emptiness of a burning sea against which we see  
__Our darkest of sadness._

"What is it, Hiei?" Kurama asked without even looking. His ruby-eyed friend was the only one that referred to him by that nickname.

"_Gomen_."

"..._Nani_?" he inquired, surprised. He turned to the Jiganshi inquisitively, his expression perplexed.

"I'm sorry about earlier...I was being insensitive. I know you miss her, but you've been so distant...and it gets agitating at times to see you like that and know that you love her."

Kurama's eyes widened at Hiei's confession, and blushed hotly when he realized what he'd said. "I don't love---!"

"You're not very good at lying anymore, you realize," the Jiganshi smirked.

_Until I felt safe and warm.  
I fell asleep in your arms.  
__When I awoke I cried again for you were gone.  
__Oh, can you hear me?_

"...I don't like you very much at the moment," Kurama admitted, "You're an evil, evil demon."

Hiei gave him a look that screamed, "Well, DUH," the smirk still evident on his face. Kurama glared at him a moment. Then another. After a good collection of moments, Hiei rolled his eyes, "You still haven't admitted you love her, you know."

"...So?"

"So, just say it already so I can go back inside and make sure that _baka_ stays away from Yukina," Hiei grumbled.

"...Okay. I admit it."

"You admit _what_?"

A long pause ensued, during which Kurama stared evenly at Hiei, giving him a look that would have made most men crumble. It didn't affect the fire demon, who merely returned it with a somewhat cocky, somewhat innocent look of his own.

_It won't rain all the time.  
__The sky won't fall forever.  
__And though the night seems long,  
__Your tears won't fall forever.  
__It won't rain all the time.  
__The sky won't fall forever.  
__And though the night seems long,  
__Your tears won't fall,  
__Your tears won't fall,  
__Your tears won't fall forever..._

"Fine, don't say it. But you know it's true. Just reminisce on that, Fox."

Kurama was relieved when he left, hurrying to escape the rain that fell so steadily down. It had worked, both of them knew; Hiei had managed to cheer up Kurama a bit. That had been his original goal, not just to apologize. Kurama would have to remember to thank him.

-

_Brenna, your time is coming...I hope that you are prepared for it._ Enda thought, holding the door to Asa's room ajar and peeking through it at the restlessly tossing and turning child asleep in the bed on the other side. _You may not realize it yet, but your powers are beginning to emerge...that is why that monster wanted you so badly...he wanted the essence of your power._

Asa stirred, and Enda quietly shut the door with a sigh, turning and walking down the hall to her room.

_Tomorrow, it begins._

Oooh, do you hate me? Do you? Lol...I love you all! Just remember that, and don't kill me...yet! ((sweatdrop)) Oh, btw, the song I used was 'It Can't Rain All the Time' by Jane Siberry. Ebil Lil Kitsune's still being a bung. So while I slowly update that, please bear with the fact that it may not be updated for a while, since, you can never tell what fun-filled surprises your computer has in store for you when you go away to school. Which is where I've been, btw. Oh...and responses.

Today, Touya's handling those.

Touya- ...Huh?

You. Make responses. For reviews. Got it?

Touya- ...O...kay. (ahem) Mel-chan! What be up, girl? ...Okay, I didn't say that out loud. Thank you, as usual, for reviewing. Oh, and Meka, as well as the rest of us lowly characters who are bound to what fate any and all authors/authoresses decide for us, say only this: THAT STORY IS THE FREAKING BOMB AND YOU MUST UPDATE IT!!!

Good job, Touya. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Touya- Heh, thanks. Okay, AzureDragoness, thanks for the review, (Hiei's gonna crap kittens when he finds out that I responded to this review instead of him...) we promise, in the near future, you will see some more A/K fluff...of course, it's going to be AFTER a big fight and some training sessions and ...(gets hit with a pot)

YOU ARE WORSE THAN HIEI AT GIVING THINGS AWAY!

Touya- ...Sorry. (swirly eyes) (shakes head clear) And last but not least, Sun Priestess, we thank you for reviewing, and it is good that you can relate with Asa's situation; if it weren't for trying to make readers relate to the characters, Meka-chan would cease to write. We very humbly thank you. (bows) (falls over, still feeling head trauma from attack by pot) (is passed out)

...Thank you, Touya. (turns to look at readers) Now, it's your cue again! Correspondence and communication are the keys to all relationships, remember that!


	11. Chapter Ten Priestess Training, Part One

I have been _so_ totally evil, not updating for so long! (nervous laughter) I know someone's out there planning my death, but until you actually _kill_ me, you must know what the Gaelic from last chapter meant, because I _completely_ forgot to put in a translation key (thanks to Mel-chan for reminding me), so all of you were probably reading the Gaelic like, "WTF does _that_ mean?!" And I'm sorry for it. (humble bow) But I have the key here!

_Deagh-bheatha-_ welcome  
_Brenna-_ (Asa's nickname) raven-haired  
_Edana_- (Umi's nickname) fiery  
_Enda_- birdlike  
_Cairine_- pure  
_Caileags_- little girls  
_Dé_- what  
_Diobair_- forget it; also means abandon, or forsake  
_Aingeal_- angel  
_Coimhlion_- perfect  
_Dáicheil_- handsome

Okay, that is done now. HAH on my forgetfulness....yeah, anyways, holy CRAP, Kurama-kun!

Kuramai- _Nani_?

I just got the _coolest_ poster!

Kurama- Does it have _me_ on it?

...Well...no.

Kurama- Traitor! Traitor to fangirls _everywhere_!

Am not! It's a cool poster! It's got a pretty fairy sitting on a crescent moon!

Kurama- ...

...Shut up.

Kurama- Did I say anything?

...I'm giving them the chapter now, ya _ja-ku_.

-

Chapter Ten- Priestess Training, Part One

(DO NOT KILL ME YET!)

-

((A/K FLUFF & ANGST WARNING!!!))

_"Shuuichi, where are you?!" The innocent cry was echoing through the darkness. Why oh why had she let him talk her into coming through the park and taking the shortcut home instead of taking the safer route around it? Now he'd gone and disappeared!_

_A loud cry from off in the darkness alarmed her, and she spun on her heel, hands clenched to her lips as she stared off in horror, wondering where her friend had gone to. "Wh-who's there?" she called tentatively._

_The trees all looked odd in the nigh—which was without moon or starlight, due to the thick covering of clouds overhead. Thunder was rolling more distantly than the cry of pain she'd just heard._

_"_I'm_ here, Asa-chan..." She spun around a second time, and her wide, icy eyes met two surprisingly weary emerald ones. She didn't know how, but in the next two heartbeats, she'd enfolded him in a rather tight embrace, relief pouring into her features._

_"Don't _do_ that to me!" she scolded him, closing her eyes and nestling her cheek into the material of his coat.. Presently, he returned her embrace, slightly wincing. She hadn't taken notice to the small movement, though. "I thought I heard someone cry out!"_

_"Oh? I didn't hear anything, and I only went to the fountain—I thought you were right behind me," he lied through his teeth._

_"Well, don't do it again."_

_"I won't; I promise."_

_-_

_"Hey...Shuuichi...?" she asked, glancing sidelong at the redhead who sat on the hill next to her. They were with the others, on a picnic, but she and 'Shuuichi' had strayed from them, preferring to sit in solitude rather than engage in a game of football or a 'Hiei's-killing-Kuwabara' episode_.

_"Mm?"_

_"You're not...going to go away, are you?"_

_"...Go away...? What do you mean?" he asked, turning to her and furrowing his brow in confusion. He was leaning back, his hands hooked around one knee that was bent upward, while his other leg was stretched out before him. She blushed when his gaze fell on her, smoothing the pleated skirt she'd worn as best she could since she was sitting with her legs folded under her._

_"I mean..." she responded after a pause, looking thoughtful as to her answer, "If...something happened...something bad...you wouldn't leave, would you?"_

_"...No, of course not," he replied, reaching an arm out to wrap around her shoulders and pull her closer, thought she caught the dark look that passed over his eyes in that moment. "I wouldn't ever."_

_"Hey, you two lovebirds, get over here!" Yusuke called teasingly from the distance, causing both of them to turn in unison and throw death-glares at him._

_-_

_This scene was unfamiliar. She stood in the center of a large circular platform made of white and blue marble, four torches lit around her, all of them blocking the four doorways that she saw. The building she was in was some sort of temple, looking up revealed a golden dome above her head. Squares of marble brick were the walls, all glossy and sapphire-colored, and the floor was a black gleaming stone; opal perhaps. The four doorways that had the torches in them had different colored frames that were arching over them—red, dark blue, sky blue, and green._

_"The four elements...fire, water, air, and earth," she mumbled under her breath._

_A familiar voice cried out in pain, and her eyes widened. "Kurama?!"_

_-_

_Enda was lying on the ground, in a clearing in a forest. Blood covered her from head to toe, so much that where it came from was indiscernible. Blood was pouring from the corners of her lips, and she was mouthing something...something...  
"Brenna..."_

_-_

Asa awoke from her last, more shadowy dream with a start, sitting up as she cried out and gasped for air, wide-eyed and pale, sweat forming on her face and in her very cold hands. It wasn't a very comforting thing that she'd dreamt. Her grandmother's last breath had been an utterance of her name.

"Whoa...that was just freaky...no more of it," she told herself. She glanced to the window, seeing that the sun had only just started to rise over a hill in the distance. Ireland had a few hills...very few mountains.

_Watch...watch...where's my watch?_ she asked herself, glaring at her wrist for not having the watch on it. She tried to remember where she'd placed it after removing it the night before, and her eyes turned to the bedside table. _There!_ It was only six twenty-five in the morning. _Jesus, what the hell's wrong with me?!_

"Well," she yawned aloud, stretching her arms over her head, "Not going back to sleep anytime soon...so I might as well get up."

She clambered out of bed, stumbling for a moment before her sleep-dazed state wore off, then blinked a few times, reaching for a robe to wrap around herself. She exited her room, poking her head out first to peer around and make sure no one else was awake before she ventured out into the hall. The house was quite; almost unnaturally quiet. Umi's snores could be heard from her room, but Asa had to admit that it was most unnerving that she could _only_ hear Umi.

She paused then, realizing something that hadn't occurred to her before. Shouldn't there be some sort of sound...the sheep being fed or herded, a dog yipping, the horses neighing or stamping their feet? Yet, there was none of those sounds...no birds warbling their good morning tune, no crickets making melodies of serenity...what was wrong?

"Nanna?!" she called softly, running to her grandmother's bedroom door and knocking as she opened it. The woman wasn't in her bed. Asa chewed the corners of her lips, worried now. She decided that maybe they had all gone out...as strange as it would be. She went down into the kitchen, hoping to find a note of some sort. There _was_ one, one that said some of the umpteen people that were helpers on Enda's farm would be in town. It didn't say anything about the old woman herself.

"Nanna..." Asa mumbled worriedly, her brow furrowing and her eyes darting to look out the window, hoping to see anything that would give a sign of her grandmother's presence. Nothing. "Damn it..." Spinning around, Asa hurried back upstairs.

"Umi, wake up!" she cried, throwing open the door to Umi's room. The startled dark-haired girl sat up, eyes wide, dreams interrupted, and turned to the door, where Asa stood.

"Asa, _daijobu_?!" she asked.

"Everyone's gone, and I can't find Nanna. Get up and get dressed, we're going to look for her." Asa left her, closing the door in a cursory, and went to her own room to get ready to search for her grandmother. She emerged in her favorite hiking outfit—a pair of boots, slightly faded denim bell bottoms, and a white button-up blouse. When Umi _finally_ emerged from her own room, stretching her arms over her head and yawning, Asa gaped at her, after a moment, commenting, "Umi...you're not seriously wearing that, are you?"

Umi looked down at her choice of spaghetti strap tank top and short pleated skirt with open-toe high heels and shrugged, "Sure; why not?" Rolling her eyes and trying to maintain her patience, Asa grabbed her cousin's wrist and dragged her down the stairs and outside, ignoring the complaints thrown her way about 'breaking ankles' and 'bad hair days.'

"Nanna?!" Asa cupped her palms around her mouth so that her voice was carried further out, but no matter what she did to try and summon up her grandmother, and no matter how often Umi hollered for the woman, she did not appear. "Now where did she _go_?" Asa mumbled under her breath, again chewing the corners of her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest with concern written clearly on her expression.

"Don't worry about it, cuz," Umi yawned, stretching her arms over her head and turning back toward the house. "She's probably taking a walk and out of our earshot...how about we go back to the house so I can get back to bed—_ow_, that _hurt_!" she cried out, grabbing the offended piece of skin on her arm that had been pinched between Asa's fingers. "What did you go and do that for, you jerk?"

"You're not going back to sleep until we find Nanna!" Asa informed her, moving toward the forest that was off in the distance, near the cliffs on the island.

"Asa!" Umi whined, stamping her foot down to the ground, "We've been looking for Nanna for_ever_ now, and I'm _tired_!"

"Correction: we've been looking for about ten minutes, and you'll live. It's Nanna I'm worried about. So suck it up and keep up, or else I'll leave you here..._alone_," Asa said, smirking slightly. She was being cruel, she knew; long had Umi complained that their grandmother's house was 'haunted' by some malicious thing that she'd once claimed to see outside of her window, with glowing red eyes and a maddening, discolored face, horns growing out of its head and _scales_ for skin. ((Wonder what _that_ could be...?)) When she glanced over her shoulder at Umi, she saw that the girl had visibly stiffened, then gave a nod of her head and moved to follow Asa.

"Okay, I'll come along...but you are _so_ going to pay for that later!" she growled at her cousin, who merely smiled innocently in reply. They entered the forest cautiously, Umi gripping Asa's arm in a death-vice, Asa moving along slowly, carefully as she could.

"Nanna?" she called, embarrassed when her voice sounded like that of a frightened little girl stuck in a dark room. If Umi noticed, though, she said nothing, probably since she was too afraid herself to even speak. There seemed to be something majorly wrong...and Asa somehow knew that she was going to find out what it was.

A sharp, distant cry came from deeper in the heart of the forest, and Asa could feel Umi stiffen beside of her. They both swallowed loudly, glancing at each other, before Umi grabbed Asa's hand like a young girl grabbing her mother's. Asa didn't protest, and led Umi toward the sound, both thinking the same thing. _That sounded like Nanna's voice..._

"Asa-chan," Umi whispered, leaning forward to allow her cousin to hear her raspy voice better, "What if...you know, she's...?"

"Don't think like that," Asa hissed, glaring at Umi over her shoulder, "She's all right...wherever she is. Just give me a minute to get my bearings, and we'll go see what that cry was...then, hopefully, be able to find Nanna."

It might not have been so bad from there on out. The key term in that phrase, of course, is _might_. In fact, it really wouldn't have, _if_, just as Asa was about to take another stap, two familiar blue (STILL unaware here) eyes blinked, upside down, and a familiar voice said in its Irish accent, "_Oi_, Asa-chan, lass, ye be a hard'un to find when ye wanna be, ya know?"

Asa shrieked, jumping backward, and in the process knocking Umi and herself to the ground, sprawled in an awkward tangle of limbs. "Dude, get the hell offa me!" Umi cursed, kicking halfheartedly at Asa, who scrambled to her feet to face their new guest. Jin grinned innocently at her, a lopsided grin that matched the twinkle in his eyes and really made her want to slap him silly.

"_Jin_, what in the seven circles of hell are you _doing_ here?!" she cried, resisting all urges to strangle him in the process of interrogating him. "Where the friggin' a are Touya and the twins?!"

"We're right behind you, Asa-chan..." Kasumi said from behind them. She spun around, eyes so wide they were practically bugging out, and sure enough, all three demons stood behind Umi, who was utterly clueless as to what was going on.

"Um...cuz?" Umi finally questioned, after Asa had stared at the four unwanted visitors with an expression that was slowly turning from surprise to ire. "Who are these crazy people, how did they get here, and what are they doing here?"

"They're friends, they most likely traveled by foot, just to annoy me, and I'm not _sure_ what they're doing here, but if I find out they're here because of why I _think_ they're here, I know one rather annoying pretty boy in Japan who's going to get the shit knocked out of him."

"Oh, Asa-chan, you wouldn't _dare_ bring harm to him, and you know it," Natsumi said exasperatedly. "We're only here—by teleportation, which is a power of Kasumi's—because we promised Genkai we'd look after you. And you _definitely_ wouldn't hurt _her_, would you?"

After a long pause, Asa answered through gritted teeth, "No, but damn it...I left Japan to get _away_ from demons and crap, no offense.

"None taken," they all chided, while Umi stared curiously at Asa.

"Demons...what the hell are you talking about, woman?" she demanded, looking like she wanted to slap some sense into her cousin. "Demons don't exist!"

"Actually, Umi...you're in the presence of four of them," Asa looked apologetically at Umi and explained, "This was Shuuichi's secret. He's really this demon that's like, five hundred years old and reincarnated. Yusuke's some sort of freaky detective who died and came back to life with a cool power called "spirit energy", Kuwabara's got that same pretty cool power, only it's not quite as strong as his spirital awareness, Botan's a ferry girl for the River Styx, Hiei's a fire demon with a weird other eye thing, and they're all working for some toddler who's going to need a major diaper change when I get a hold of him. They met Touya and Jin in this tournament called "Dark Tournament" and Natsumi and Kasumi only recently joined the group when I was kidnapped, which is how I acquired _this_," she motioned at her broken arm, then glanced at her four demon comrades questioningly, "That about sum it up?" They all nodded in approval.

Umi stared at her as if she were mad. Then, after she gathered all she could absorb through the rather terse summary of what was going on, she nodded slowly, as if to confirm it to herself. Then she grinned, "Well, damn! That's kinda cool! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Um...?"

"So, what's this 'preincarnated' Shuuichi like?"

Blinking, Asa told her, "He's a...fox demon named Youko Kurama...which is what Shuuichi goes by now...Kurama, that is."

"Cool! Okay, so...these four are like, your bodyguards assigned by Genkai, right?" Asa nodded. "Okay! They can go with us to find Nanna!"

"Holy shit! I forgot about Nanna! Crap crap crap crap crap..." Asa turned and, without offering any elaboration to her four puzzled demon friends, ran ahead of her five comrades toward where they'd heard the scream earlier.

"It's a good thing we caught up with her when we did..." Touya said, "I fear she may have begun to lose her mind."

"Oh, nah, Asa-chan's always like that," Umi admitted with an eye roll, "Especially when she's worried. Now, dudes, lets' get going!" They hurried to follow Asa, who was by now so far away they could barely hear her cries of "crap" as she sprinted toward the source of disturbing sound.

Ahead, she heard another sound, even more pain-filled and miserable, and it made her brow crease with worry. The sound was incredibly familiar...like the cries of her mother... Shaking the thought away from her head with annoyance, she slowed, barely noticing the Irish-accented redheaded demon who'd just caught up to her.

"Ah, Asa-lass, ye've gotten a bit fast, eh? Fox-boy must be pretty proud o' ye." She threw him a sharp glare at that. "_Nani_?!"

"Just shut up and come on." They finally reached a clearing in the forest, which Asa should have immediately recognized from her dream, but she was too preoccupied with the scene before her. She had been sure she'd find her grandmother here...and she did, much to her horror.

- - -

...Okay, so I just scored a 12 on the 1-10 evil scale. (sweatdrop) I PROMISE YOU, I'll try to update again shortly...there are about three parts to Priestess Training, according to my storyline calculations... (looks over the long list of mathematical equations)

Yusuke- HOLY SHIT, you actually DID all of that?!

...NO! I got Foxy to do it, to prove that I wasn't a traitor to fangirls. (grin)

Yusuke- -.-;;

Anyway, like I was saying...be prepared for a heckuva ride later on... (yay grin) and don't hurt me (ahem) _too_ badly.

Hiei- AzureDragoness, I'm back! (does a VERY ooc happy dance) Thank you for reviewing!! (hugs Azure)

Kuwabara- (whisper whisper) We kind of spiked his water this morning...and then gave him sugar on top of that...

Hiei- I HEART LOLLIPOPS!

Yusuke- Sun Priestess, hey, maybe you should join Asa-chan on her little priestess quest, eh? Anyway, the brat thanks you for reviewing (leans back in his chair)

...Brat?! (throws a milk carton at his head)

Yusuke- ...(swirly-eyed effect)

Kurama- Mel-chan! Hi! It's been awhile, hasn't it? Sorry about Meka's long...(ahem)...absence. She's a bit...overwhelmed with school and such. Thank you for reviewing!

Thanks, guys! You make such good review responders!

Kuwabara- Ooh, my turn, my turn!

...(sigh), all right, go ahead...

Kuwwabara- (holds up his disclaimer sign, which now reads, 'I _do not_ own YYH! I _do _own Asa-chan and Ai-san'

...Idiot. Anyways, you guys know the drill. Reviews are most welcome!


	12. Chapter Eleven Priestess Training, Part ...

Ehehehe, no, I'm not dead. Not yet, at least...(nervous look) Here's the next chapter!

Chapter Eleven- Priestess Training, Part II

-

Asa fought a sudden urge to gag, and repeatedly swallowed back the taste of bile as she made her way down the hill into the clearing, avoiding blood that was splattered randomly on the ground. She'd sent Jin to get Umi out of there as soon as possible, knowing that her cousin wouldn't be able to handle such a scene.

There was a tattered, broken body laying in the center of the clearing, and as Touya, Kasumi, and Natsumi stood at the edge of the forest, not daring to impose on the awful yet still sight, Asa made her way toward it, cradling her broken arm close to her in a mixture of awe and disgust. What sort of creature could have caused such massive and completely vile destruction to a single human body? She was horrified by the thought that the body could be that of her grandmother, as well.

When she reached it, she dropped to her knees, heedless of the blood that was now staining her hands and clothes as she turned over the person to see a familiar face. Tears welled in her eyes and she cried out in anguish, "Nanna!"

The twins were both at her side instantaneously, but Touya held back, not as suave with the female gender as _some_ people (cough cough Kurama cough cough) and certainly the average male, and Kasumi said gently, "Asa-chan, she may still be alive…"

"I know…I have to check." Asa reluctantly extended a tremulous hand out and felt her grandmother's neck for a pulse. She didn't expect to find one, but…

Thump…

…Thump…

……Thump…

"Nanna! Can you hear me, Nanna?!" Asa shook her grandmother's shoulder as gently as she could, frantic for a response from Edna.

"Brenna! Careful, foolish girl!" Edna's voice rasped, and the older woman peeled her eyes open, turning her head to meet Asa's widened ones. "Brenna, the time has come. The beast has returned…he came for me this time, but when he returns, it will be for you."

"The beast…? Nanna, what are you talking about? You're scaring me…" Asa said, ignoring Kasumi and Natsumi.

"The one…that did _that_," Edna weakly gestured at Asa's broken arm, "is the beast."

"Sakai?! _He_ did this?!" Natsumi demanded. Edna ignored her, looking at Asa as if she were the only one there.

"That is the same creature your cousin used to see outside her window…the same one that has haunted your family since the time of the High Priestesses; there is something about your heritage which you do not know, my child…"

"_Dé_?" Asa asked, unintentionally speaking in Gaelic.

"Brenna, you're the last in our family line capable of becoming a priestess; _the_ Priestess…"

Asa stared at her grandmother for a long moment, then, "What-a-huh?! Are you getting delirious?!"

"_Brenna_," Edna said in a scolding manner, "I don't have much time left. You must listen!" Asa stared at her grandmother again, now curiously concerned. "You must harness the power that thrives within you, my granddaughter. Your friends will be able to help you. Here, take my hand…" Asa nodded and clasped her grandmother's bloodstained hand in hers. Her dream was coming back to mind, but she ignored the thought for a moment, curious as to what her grandmother was doing. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate."

"Right," Asa nodded, following Edna's orders. She wondered what she was supposed to be concentrating on, but after a moment, she felt a warmth come over her…it was oddly familiar…

Then, all was black.

-

_This was the same temple as her other dream, she knew. The same torches in the same elemental doorways, and the same elevated platform. But…something _was_ different. The place seemed…smaller, somehow._

"_Lady Ai?!" an unfamiliar voice cried from one of the four halls—the one in front of her, she recognized._

"_Hai?" The second voice was also unfamiliar, yet it had come from _her_ own lips. Blinking a few times in confusion, she looked down at herself. Well, _that_ may have been why this place seemed different—she was at _least_ six inches taller than she had been just a few seconds ago…and _whoa_, 'those' weren't hers! _((A/N: lol, very Freaky Friday, sorry…oh, I don't own that either!)) _She was in a kimono of golden and silver material, as well, with a strange kanji written on the back of her hand…"ai." Ai? Love?! Um…_

"_Come quickly, Lady Ai! The Priestess Risa is here waiting for you! Do not doddle!"_

"_I'll be right there!" she called in that strange voice again, then stepped gracefully off the platform and brushed by one of the torches which still remained in the doorways to exit the "special platform room," as she had just nicknamed it. She found herself in an average temple, but unlike Genkai's Labyrinth of Hell, she _knew_ her way around this one. After picking a few halls to wander through, she entered a room that actually reminded her of a sitting room. Two people were there waiting for her, a wiry old man—presumably the owner of the voice that had summoned her—and a woman who looked older than she was in this form, but was still ripe in her beauty, with dark eyes and hair._

"_Ai," the woman, Risa, said in greeting, nodding. Asa, or, Ai, as it were, nodded and bowed politely in return. "Sit." Again with utmost courtesy, she obeyed. "Have you yet discovered the secret to unlocking your power?"_

_Oh-h…so _this_ was why she was here…to unlock the "power" her grandmother had been telling her about…Hmm…she must have hit her head pretty badly, Asa decided, even as Ai nodded. "Concentrating on any element and focusing on creating or manipulating any form of that element, I can use my energy to create a product or weapon of it."_

"_Have you achieved the forming of the Great Light?"_

"_Hai."_

"_Then you are ready." Risa stood, and suddenly, Asa felt like "Asa" again, instead of "Ai." Risa looked her in the eyes, reminding her a lot of her grandmother, and spoke in an almost mystic way, "When you can learn to recognize your abilities, then you can harness the power within you. You are stronger than any normal High Priestess, Asa…Asa…Asa…!"_

-

"_Asa_!!" Someone was roughly shaking her shoulder, shouting at her in an annoyingly familiar voice. She opened one eye, noticing the person who leaned over her where she lay in her bedroom at Edna's house, then blinked a few times, glaring at her cousin as she came into focus.

"Ugh…Umi-chan, I just had the most _awful_ nightmare…!"

"Sorry, cuz, but it wasn't a nightmare…Jin and I called Erin home, and she took Nanna to the hospital…there was blood _everywhere_…you were even covered in it when Touya and the twins brought you back…you still are, actually. And what was up?! You were out cold, and the only thing any of those three would tell me is that once you awoke, to tell you to find them; that they know what you're going to want to do about being a priestess…?! What the hay?!"

"Um…Nanna said I was a priestess right before I blacked out. I guess _that's_ what they're talking about…then I just had this really weird dream…is Nanna going to be okay?" Asa demanded, sitting up.

"I don't know, Asa-chan…she looked pretty bad. Erin was cursing in Gaelic when she last called. They have Nanna in observation right now—she got out of surgery about an hour ago. I have no damn _clue_ what to tell Erin and the others about what happened to her, but I can't actually tell them a _demon_ attacked her—yes, I know about that, too, and I won't say "I told you so" until later—so what're we gonna do about _that_?!"

"Too…many…decisions…" Asa groaned, dropping her head into her palms. "Um…tell Erin we don't know what happened—that we just found her like that. They're going to realize that it was some sort of wild animal or something from the wounds Nanna had, anyway…I just hope she's all right. As for the priestess thing…well, I don't really know…" She sighed heavily, looking at Umi, "Where are those four, anyway?"

"Hanging around the living room…I think Jin's getting a little restless—he was literally _hanging_ from Nanna's chandelier the last time I checked on them," she informed her.

"…O…kay, well, let me get a chance to clean up, then I'll go talk to them…Lord _knows_ what Nanna was telling them after I passed out…" Umi nodded, and scampered off to inform the four demons about Asa's plan, while the girl herself went about carefully _not_ getting the cast on her arm wet. It was a good thing that the stupid thing would be able to be removed in a week—although she'd need a sling for a while longer, her arm hadn't been so seriously broken that she needed a cast for more than a couple of weeks. And of course, that was awesome. She'd broken an arm before, and it wasn't always so pleasant.

When she went to find them, Jin was still hanging from her grandmother's chandelier, and the other three were eyeing him curiously, Kasumi with an amused smile on her face. "Um…what's going on in here, guys?"

"Oh, we're just trying to get _him_ down," Natsumi informed her. "He got stuck on a loose diamond of some sort." Asa rolled her eyes, and disappeared into a closet off to her right, coming out again with a stepstool and a screwdriver.

"Asa, lass, what ye plannin' on doin' with those there articles?" Jin asked a little nervously.

"Shut up, Jin. If I can't concentrate and knock your teeth out, it's not my fault. You shouldn't have been hanging from my grandmother's _two-hundred-year-old_ chandelier, anyway!" she said scoldingly as Jin gave her a disbelieving look.

"But _I'm_ older than that!" he protested. Asa 'accidentally' elbowed him as she used the screwdriver to pry his shirt sleeve loose. "What? What'd I say?"

"Just…hush," she replied, rolling her eyes and looking to Kasumi, "Kasu-chan, your boy's getting a little bit on the _edge_ of my nerves!" Kasumi blushed heavily, just as Jin fell face-first onto the floor, finally free of the evil chandelier.

"Asa-chan, what do you propose we do about the situation your grandmother presented us with before she was taken to the hospital?" Touya asked in his usual calm demeanor.

"I'm not really sure…I had a dream right after I went all swirly-eyed, but I'm not sure what it meant…"

"Tell us about it," Natsumi said. "Maybe we can help." Asa nodded, and told them all about "Ai" and Risa, and how the latter told her to unlock her power by 'recognizing her abilities.' After she'd finished, all four demons were staring at her oddly.

"What?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"Asa-chan, I'm not sure if you realize this, but…the High Priestess Risa was considered to be the teacher of priestesses, because of her ability to evoke their powers. And Ai…well, Ai was considered one of the strongest priestesses of her time," Kasumi informed her.

"…Okay, so what?"

"So, you _are_ probably a priestess, or at least, you're capable of _being_ one," Natsumi continued for her sister, raising an eyebrow. "And your grandmother said…we could help you…possibly meaning that we can train you until you realize what your power _is_."

"…You can't be serious," Asa retorted.

"Deadly serious, I'm afraid," Touya finished the conversation abruptly. "We'll be training you while your grandmother is incapacitated, or, at least, until you learn a little about how to _use_ your powers."

"…Does anyone know exactly _what_ a priestess's powers _are_?"

"Well, a regular priestess could use healing, and summon up creatures of light…you're a _High_ Priestess, though…so, I'm not quite sure about how many powers you have," Kasumi inserted, "I'd say, however, that you indefinitely have a regular priestess's powers. But I would also assume you'd have control over all the elements…since High Priestesses are connected to everything in nature (1)."

"Um…right. So…when are we starting this, uh…training?" Asa asked.

"Tomorrow. That way, you can go visit your grandmother, and get a lot of rest," Natsumi smirked, rather uncharacteristically, which scared Asa a little. _These guys are gonna _kill_ me_, she thought, her expression betraying her sudden nervousness. They exchanged amused glances, when Umi came into the room.

"Asa-chan, Erin and Nanna are home…Nanna's getting at-home care, so that she won't have to move around so much."

"Right…I'll be there in a minute," Asa nodded, turning back to the demons. "Try to make yourselves scarce, and I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning…around what time?"

"Dawn," they all replied in unison, causing both Asa and Umi to twitch in annoyance. They _really_ hated it when people did that.

"Um, yeah…see you then." Asa grabbed Umi by the wrist and took her out of the room. "I really don't want to do this…"

"Kinda can't help it now, cuz…you're a High Priestess, ya know? It's…a little, um, _important_?" Umi suggested with a shrug. "As long as it's not _me_ with the crazy powers, we're cool."

"You know, if _I'm_ a priestess by my mother, _you_ have to be, too, seeing as your mother and mine _are_ sisters," Asa said matter-of-factly. Umi blinked at her, and smirked.

"Yeah, but Nanna said you're the last one capable of being a _High Priestess_; ere go you have more responsibility…unless, of course, you and Foxy get together and make a few offspring—!" She was instantly silenced by Asa's sharp, cold glare which clearly said, 'Keep speaking; I _dare_ you.' Grinning innocently, she asked, "What?!"

"Ugh…what am I gonna do with you? Let's just go see Nanna." She sped on ahead of Umi, up the stairs, and into her grandmother's room, where Erin, a tall, redheaded woman in her thirties, was tucking in Enda, who looked worse for the wear. She was covered in bandages and stitches, and bruises were decorating her skin where gauze was not. "Oh, Nanna…" Asa sighed, joining her grandmother's side as Erin left the room. "You look like hell."

"Watch your mouth, Brenna," Enda scolded lightly, obviously exhausted. "Have you thought about what I told you before?"

"Um…yeah, I have…and my uh, _friends_ have already decided that I'm getting up at dawn to start training until you get better," she said wryly. Enda smiled a small smile, and Asa tucked the blanket that covered her more carefully around her small frame. "Nanna, why did you leave the house? You'd have been safer here!"

"But you would not have been. He came for _you_, my child…I was only a temporary 'fix,' as one addicted to a drug of some sort would say." Asa nodded slowly, understanding what her grandmother meant. Leave it to ol' Nanna to keep a constant eye out for her grandchildren. She was like a mother bear, only not so…um, hairy. A mixture of amusement and bemusement crossed Asa's face then, and she burst out laughing at her own mental metaphor, despite Enda looking at her as if she were crazy.

"Brenna, _dé_—?!"

"Just something that occurred to me, Nanna, nothing to worry about," Asa chortled. "You know, childhood idiocy."

"Ah, yes…I remember that… So, you're starting in the morning?"

"Yes…alas, my dear short life will be cut off by the haggardness of training to be a High Priestess," Asa said with mock dramatic effort, throwing her good arm over her eyes to conceal them. "Oh, woe is me!"

"Brenna, you're an odd child, you know that?" her grandmother chuckled. She grinned and nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, but Umi's clothes-crazy, so I _have_ to be odd-crazy," she explained.

"Oh…I see." Enda was chuckling when Asa glanced at the clock. "You'd better get off to bed, my dear, if you're planning on waking up at dawn."

"Yes'm," Asa saluted her grandmother, bowing and backing out of the room, "You rest up!"

"Wait, Asa!" Asa paused before closing the door, and looked back at Enda inquisitively. "Just remember this advice: when you want something, you have to let yourself have it…" A mysterious smile spread over her face then, and Asa wasn't all too sure she _wanted_ to know what she meant. With a quick goodnight, Asa fled her grandmother's room and went to ponder over the advice in her own. Tomorrow would be a coffee morning, she knew.

-

Indeed, coffee. Irish blend was damn strong; it was enough to wake the dead. But coffee wasn't how Asa awoke, unfortunately enough. It was _before_ dawn, and amidst another strange dream, Asa turned onto her side…only to be poked in the forehead. At first, it didn't faze her. Then, Jin sat back with his silly little elf smile, and took one of Asa's ears—proceeding to yell in it _entirely_, and unnecessarily, too loud.

"WHAT THE HELL?!?!" she screamed, causing him to fly back off the bed.

"Well good morrow to ye, too, lass!" he chuckled in reply.

"God…I _hate_ early birds…" Asa growled. She stretched her arms above her head and stumbled to her feet, casting a glance at the elfish demon, and rolled her eyes. "Well, get out so I can get ready. Wouldn't want to keep you all waiting for too much longer, now would I?"

"Nope, suppose not." He hopped to his feet and walked casually out the door, which she slammed closed behind him.

"What on Earth have I gotten myself into?!" she demanded herself, more than a little annoyed.

-

Alas, again I must put a postpone on the continuation of this three part chapter (which is actually a three chapter part…) but I promise you, I _will_ get A & K back together again, hopefully with _some_ peace between them! First, though, I gotta get through Part Three of the Priestess Training…hmm…anyway, NOTES!

(1) Priestesses have powers over the elements, you know, earth, wind, water, fire, light, and dark. They can also heal people, which is a duh. But HIGH priestesses can also alter these elements and summon up spirits and guardians from them…more in later chapters.

Okay, well, BOYS! RESPONDING TIME!!

Hiei- Hn. Well, as usual, thank you, Sun Priestess, for reviewing...and trust me, you won't be disappointed with Asa's 'high priestesshood'...that's all I'm saying.

Oh, thanks, Hiei. (annoyed glare)

Hiei- (smirk)

(eye roll) Okay, next!

Yusuke- Hehe, welcome, xHoshikox (is it okay if we just call you Hoshi?) and thanks for the review! Even if this story is crap!

(glare of death) DIE, YOU OAF!!!! (chases him around throwing daggers)

Yusuke- AAAH!

Kurama- (blinks) Alright, well...Mel-chan, we're very very sorry that you're upset, and we completely understand (actually, MEKA understands--I was just trying to understand her babble as she ranted about it to me) your plight. We hope you're feeling better soon!

Kuwabara- Hiya! I've still got the disclaimer sign! (holds up disclaimer sign) And Meka wants to reply to the last review herself!

Meka- (after killing Yusuke) (ahem) Yes, I would very much like to respond to Miss Shinta's review. Firstly, Shinta, thank you for the review! I don't get a lot of critiques so this was a good thing for me! I'm glad you liked Yusuke's characterization, but I must admit, I only bring Kurama and Hiei ooc when I've got them responding to reviews--you know, perky little funny stuff. I promise not to get them too out of character in the story, and I hope I'm doing a good job so far. And, in Youko's case, there are hints in the manga and original Japanese anime, in fact, (no pun intended) that he DID have a "special someone" and that with that "someone" he acted completely different than his normal unemotional self...so I only depicted him like that with Ai. And I would NEVER call Kurama thick intentionally--that was just a little Yusuke phrase that I thought would fit in the story. I apologize if you got the wrong meaning from it. And yes, although the HB relationship IS odd, I have fun with it, because it's amusing to see Hiei act all "you're going to die but you're okay" while Botan's all "yay life is great and Hiei's gonna kill me!" And yes, I know about Kurama's 'no anger' rule...but if you know him like I think you do, you're surely aware that he wouldn't be pleased if someone he cares about was harmed in any way. Thank you for the compliments, though! And as this IS only mostly a first draft, I'll probably be editing it once I finish, so I hope you'll come back and see it once it's completely complete. (bows)

Kuwabara- Very nicely handled, Meka-chan!

Thanks! Okay, now we gotta go!

-Meka-chan


	13. Chapter Twelve Priestess Training, Part ...

Chapter Twelve- Priestess Training, Part III

Fifteen minutes later, Asa stood outside with the twins, yawning and stretching one arm over her head, while holding a styrofoam cup of coffee in the hand of her broken arm, which was still in its cast and sling. "Okay, even _if_ this is important for me to learn, what the hell am I supposed to do with _this_?" she asked Katsumi, gesturing at the limb in question.

"You'll be fine, Asa-chan. We're not doing anything that will harm you physically today."

"You say _today_, but what about _tomorrow_?" Asa asked suspiciously. Kasumi just smiled, a little _too_ innocently, if Asa thought about it long enough. "Alright, so what's on the menu today?" she asked, turning to the second twin.

"_Today_, you're going to learn how to find your spirit energy," Natsumi told her. "And we're going to _start_ with you putting that coffee down. No mood-altering substances allowed."

_What is this, rehab?_ Asa thought in annoyance, glaring at Natsumi before she relinquished her precious Irish brew. She realized in slight annoyance that Natsumi was explaining the reason behind her new caffeine drought, and listened to the last of it, blinking, "…it'll mess with your mental state and make you hyper; we need you calm. The sleepier you are, the better."

"…Riiight…okay." Asa nodded, pretending she heard everything Natsumi may have just said and agreed with it, and praying that the demoness' speech hadn't had a contract of her death inserted secretly in it. Then she noticed something, "Hey, where's Jin and Touya?"

"They're setting up your training station for today. Since only your cousin and grandmother can know about this, we're practicing in the forest. And since Sakai's somewhere, Natsu-chan and I are going to be switching with Jin and Touya-kun to keep an eye out for him."

"…That's oddly not so comforting. After all, you remember what he did to _me_? Yeah, and he's like, a higher class demon than you guys."

"We're not concerned."

"O…kay. So, take me to this 'training station,' so I can get this over with already."

"Alright, but _you_ asked for it." The twins led her into the forest, then they walked along a path until they reached a clearing, where a small ring of land had been risen to look somewhat like a ring. Asa figured Kasumi had done it, being an Earth demon, and merely raised her eyebrow at the girl's handiwork, then noticed something she hadn't before – on the ring were four posts, each one had a carving of an element engraved onto it. There was water (in the shape of a raindrop), earth (in the shape of a rose hint hint), air (in the shape of two weird squiggles looking like wind), and fire (in the shape of a flame). In the earth, someone had also engraved the symbols for light (the sun) and darkness (a black-filled sun).

"What the hell?" she asked, looking up at Jin and Touya. "What's all this?"

"Well, lass, while's you was asleep, we lot decided we'd do a wee bitta readin'," Jin explained.

"In other words," Touya elaborated, "we were looking at an old priestess book we found, conveniently, in your grandmother's library. Thank Umi for that later. But we were reading up on training fields and styles for priestesses, and these symbols make their training more focused, especially when working with mind and soul." (a/n: I have no clue, really…I'm winging it with what I _do_ know about priestesses…)

"…Alright, well, now that you've _managed_ to utterly baffle me," Asa said, "Let's get started! What'm I to do first, Coaches?"

"Coaches?" Natsumi repeated.

"Uh, yeah…I guess you don't know what a coach is in this world…sorta like a trainer," Asa explained, scratching the back of her head with an apologetic look. "Forgot about the lack of slang vocabulary, sorry."

"Anyway," Touya interrupted, "Let's get started, shall we? Asa, if you'll have a seat there in the center of the ring…" Asa nodded, and clambered up onto the raised platform of dirt with Jin and Kasumi's help, doing as she was told. "Alright, first, we have to find your energy…what elements it's strongest in, and what senses it's best used with."

"Okay, how do _we_ do that?"

"Well, _you_ close your eyes and listen." She eyed him in disbelief for a minute. "Go ahead and trust us, Asa. Close your eyes."

"Fine," she sighed in annoyance, closing her eyes and putting on an expectant face. She didn't hear anything at first, but then someone slapped her in the head. "Hey!" she cried out, opening her eyes to glare at Natsumi. "What was that for?!"

"You _weren't_ listening. Or else you might have been able to block that," Natsumi said simply. "Now, here's what we're going to do…" She pulled a blindfold out of a random pocket, and tied it over Asa's eyes securely. "Now, you _have_ to listen. Or you'll get hit again."

"Crap…"

"Now listen."

Asa heaved a disgruntled sigh, and listened. _Well, _that's_ weird…_ she thought, furrowing her brow. She could hear the wind…and Natsumi and Kasumi breathing on either side of her. From the sound of their breathing, Natsumi was closer…maybe within five feet, and Kasumi somewhere a few feet behind her. Touya and Jin weren't anywhere _near_ them, and Asa could hear _them_ breathing, too. Then, a new kind of wind – someone running near, throwing out their hand to hit her…

Natsumi was most impressed when Asa grabbed her wrist before she slapped her head again. "Very _nice_, Asa-chan! You just passed the first test…within thirty seconds!" She and her twin exchanged a glance as Asa removed the blindfold and chuckled, bragging that 'of _course_ she passed.' _No_ one passed that test so quickly…

"Alright, _my_ turn," Kasumi said eagerly. "Now, you _know_ that I'm an Earth demon, so this is my natural element. Your second trial is to feel movement in the earth before we attack you, and to do that, we're going to blindfold _and_ deafen you."

"Oh, _great_. And just _how_ are you going to do _that_?"

"Ever read The Odyssey?"

"…_Yeah_…" Asa said slowly, narrowing her eyes.

"Remember how Odysseus protected his crew from the Sirens?"

"Beeswax…" (This _was_ actually the technique Odysseus used to block the ears of his crew, when he tied himself to the mast and they were passing the Sirens…yeah, sometimes, Mythology just kicks ass. But, uh, that doesn't make school okay, younguns.)

"_That's_ how."

"This gets better and better every minute, you know that?"

"Of _course_! We helped design this training program, didn't we?" Natsumi grinned as she took a small jar of some golden claylike substance out of her kimono (where'd _that_ come from, the Pocket of Everything? Ooh, _very_ Link from Zelda…) and removed a small wad of it, handing it to Asa. Asa glared at the elder of the twins for a moment before plugging her ears with the nasty-looking stuff. (And I _mean_ it looks SERIOUSLY nasty…) She saw Natsumi speak, but couldn't hear anything. Then, the blindfold covered her eyes again, and she felt someone pulling her to her feet, then, once she was standing and balanced, whoever it was moved away.

_This_ was a little troubling for her. Two of her strongest senses were now cut off, and she was pretty much helpless. Feel the damn vibrations in the ground? How the hell was she supposed to do _that_?! Ack – wait!! What was _that_?! It felt like a damn earthquake underneath her feet! …Um…wait, was _that_ what she _supposed_ to be feeling? She couldn't help but think, _…I certainly _hope_ not…_

Then again…the ground rumbled again, and she had to force herself to stay on her feet. That might be happening for a reason…to compensate for her newly _lost_ senses, her sight and hearing. _Okay,_ she thought, _relax and go with it…_

She did…and the rumblings calmed. But only a little bit. So, what the hell? Where were they coming from?

Wait…okay, what was _that_? A tremor…to her right. Now behind. To the left. Really close now. Three of them. DUCK!

She sank to the ground in time to avoid an attack from Jin, Kasumi, and Natsumi. The three exchanged a look of disbelief, and when they stopped moving, Asa took off her blindfold, and unplugged her ears. "_Hah_, I _felt_ you guys moving!!" she exclaimed, standing up and poking Jin's nose. "_Don't_ do that again!"

"You have two more senses to finish up, Asa-chan," Touya said, appearing from the trees.

"Fine…wait, what would those two senses be?"

"Smell…and a sixth sense."

"_Huh_?"

"You'll see! Oh, _this_ next test was designed by _me_, lass, so ye'd better pass it right-easy, ya hear?"

"So does that mean you're taking it easy on me, or otherwise?" she asked curiously, narrowing her eyes.

"Ye'll jus' hafta wait 'n' see, ya will," Jin answered with a nod of his head.

"I _really_ don't like it when you take that tone of voice," Asa said in annoyance.

"Go on, then," Kasumi said, gesturing to Asa. "The boys will take care of you from here. We're going on watch."

"Oh, yay," Asa said unenthusiastically, waving a randomly appearing little white flag above her head. (Have you ever seen that happen? It's GREAT!) "Okay, Windy, let's get this little test passed so I can go back to sleep, shall we?"

"Aye, let's, lassie!" He sat her down promptly, and she glanced around, raising an eyebrow slightly as she did so. "Lookin' for someone, lass?"

"Yeah. Where'd Touya get to?"

"Oh, he's just goin' to set up the other part of this l'il test. By the way, you've got to complete this test in less than five minutes, or else this little forest around you – a pretty one, ain't it? – it'll all be gone. Okay?"

"Whaddaya mean, it'll all be gone?!" Asa shrieked, knocking him back on his haunches in midair. "This forest has been in my grandfather's family for _generations_! You had better _not_ be threatening it in any way!"

"Well, if'n you pass yer test in time, lass, ye'll not be havin' to worry about losin' the forest, now will ya?" Jin laughed, mostly at her expression. "Dun worry, lassie! I've faith in ye! An' from what _I've_ seen, ye haven't a thing to worry about! I betcha even ol' Foxy'd be proud of ye – OOF! – _what_ _was that for_?!" he asked, after receiving _and_ removing the shoe from his mouth. Asa just glared vehemently at him, telling him without words to shut the hell up. "Fine, fine, lass," he said, tossing back her boot and rubbing his jaw. "I didn't know ye was so sensitive about the topic…"

Touya appeared beside him, and nodded at him, then got a curious expression upon seeing the new bruise on his cheek and jaw. "What happened to _you_?" he asked.

Jin pointed a thumb at Asa, "I aggravated the lass."

"Bad move, buddy," Asa growled, standing up and sliding her boot back on. "Okay, what'm I doing _now_? You'd better tell me – I _swear_, if my grandmother's forest is harmed in _any_ way, Jin, I'll have your head!"

"I told ye, it'll be fine! Just, use your nose to sniff'n out the fire that Touya started, and then Natsumi'll use 'er powers to put it out. But ye'd better hurry!" Asa's eyes widened in disbelief, and narrowed in anger, and she was about to hit him again, before he tapped her watch meaningfully, and with a furious grumbling, she turned around, and closed her eyes, lifting her nose to the air. _Smell_ fire? What the hell?! How was she supposed to do _that_?! Oh…smoke. Right. For God's – or Jin's – sake, that fire better not be too far away, she thought, still grumbling even when she caught a whiff of the smoke she was looking for.

"Okay, Jin, you may not be so screwed after all," she said, opening her eyes again and running in the direction where she'd smelled the smoke coming from. Jin exchanged a nervous glance with Touya, who shrugged and chuckled in reply.

"That's Asa-chan for you, Jin. You knew that."

Asa grumbled, pausing to look around and catch her breath. She had been wrong…Touya hadn't been thinking about saving his best friend. Indeed, it seemed that, after running for what _seemed_ like three miles, Touya was _trying_ to get Jin killed. Asa couldn't exactly blame him, though. Okay, so, where the hell was that scent coming from?

The left. Cool.

She took off toward it again. When the hell did the damn forest turn into a big maze?! Okay, big tree, small tree, medium tree…

SMOKE! There was the scent, stronger now! And, looking up, she could see the billowing black cloud in front of her. She ran forward, and nearly face-vaulted when she found the fire – in a deep twenty foot ditch that had only recently been dug for such purposes as burning leaves.

"…Well, I'll be damned," Asa grumbled, then her face turned into one of anger when the two demons appeared on either side of her, the Irish-accented one laughing.

"Well, lass, did ye like yer little run? You made it to the fire with three minutes almost to spare!"

"I'm…gonna…_kill_ you!" she growled, turning to him and suddenly looking _very_ much like a demon. Jin 'eeped' nervously and hid behind Touya, who also looked a little scared himself. "But that's _only_ after I castrate you, mangle you beyond recognition, impale you, burn you to a boiling point, _and_ strangle you!"

"…Okay, first of all, _revoltingly_ 'ew,' and secondly, maybe you can do all that later," Touya said. "You have one more test to do, and then we'll know for sure what your element is, so calm down."

Scary, horrible Asa disappeared, and curious one reappeared. "Oh, okay. But what's the last test?"

"It's Touya-lad's!" Jin risked poking his head out from behind Touya's shoulder, but Asa growled at him, and he dove back behind his best friend.

"Yes," he continued, casting a strange glance at Jin over his shoulder, and raising an eyebrow. "You see this fire? Well, we _do_ need some water to put it out, and Natsumi's unfortunately nowhere to be found. So, find us some water."

"Uh…how?"

"This isn't a physical sense anymore…this is your _sixth_ sense, so to speak. We've already showed you how to use it by giving you the other tests first, so you could sort of 'feel out' your senses, so to speak. Now, all you have to do is do whatever you did _then_ to form a picture in your mind…" He trailed off when he realized she was staring at him incredulously. "…Okay, so it sounds a little crazy. But Asa, think about this seriously a moment. You've already proven to _us_ that you're a little on the extraordinary side. Why not prove it to yourself? Just for 'kicks?'" he tested the phrase with a strange expression, having heard her use it before, and she laughed.

"Alright," she said after a moment, nodding in agreement and wiping the laughter tears from her eyes, "Just try not to use slang so much anymore. It'll be Death by Laughter for me otherwise."

"…Death by…?" they both started to repeat, in utter confusion.

"…Never mind. So, um…yeah. Last test. Finding water with my little brain, right?"

"Some would call it 'foresight,'" Touya informed her.

"I don't care what some would call it, I call it a pain in the neck!" Asa said in reply, turning around and plopping down on the ground. She looked up at the two demons, who were both exchanging an amused glance, and glowered at them a moment before saying, "So, like you said, picture in my mind?"

"_Hai_, that is correct."

"Okay then. Give me a minute."

"Oh, by the way, Asa…" She almost face-vaulted with the interruption, and looked up again at the icy-eyed Touya. "If you pass _this_ test, we're going to start the physical part of your training this evening."

"…Great."

-

Okay, so. That seems like a good place to stop. Nice and cliffhanger-ish. But don't worry, you'll find out what happens to Asa in about…two chapters. (nervous look) I wanted to put a little mystery into it for you, so I decided to um…make the REST of her training a little private, so we can get back to the boys, since the bigger part of the storyline (and the little thing that's gotta sort of PUSH it along) lies in their part…So, next chapter, look forward to a big long chapter about threats and rose whips and the end of the world, okay? (Oh, by the way, pay special attention to that sentence, because it's a clue.)

Okay. Boys!!! Review responding time!!!!

Yusuke: We quit. This gig's worse than working for the two-year-old.

I'm glad you think you CAN quit…but you can't. Sorry.

Yusuke: (grumble)

Anyway. Get to it.

Kurama: Mel-chan! Hello! First of all, I'm personally apologizing for Meka-chan's tardiness in updating this story, because I make her go the hellish horrific place she refers to as "school." But thank you for keeping with us! And we're sorry the story updating lateness makes you sad. (hands you a cookie) Meka said these make sadness better.

…Yeah, I gave him about four hundred sugar cookies over Christmas. (By the way, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everybody!) NEXT!!

Hiei: Sazuka-chan, thank you for the compliments. We hope your interest stays with the story and we thank you very much for reviewing. DETECTIVE. Your turn.

Yusuke: Sun Priestess, um…sadistic? I'll have to look that one up in the dictionary.

…Idiot…

Yusuke: ANYWAY, thanks for reviewing, and Kurama at least is glad you're learning . Stick with it!!

Okay, that looks like it's about it. Did I have any notes…? No, guess not. Okay, have fun, eat chocolate, and live happy!)


	14. Chapter Thirteen Trouble in Japan

Chapter Thirteen- Trouble in Japan

There was a situation in Spirit World. Kurama was sitting in Koenma's office, with the rest of his friends, all wondering what they were doing there.

Yusuke, clearly annoyed, finally fell into tipping his chair back and forth on its hind legs, while Kuwabara twiddled his thumbs and hummed some random tune, looking around the room for _something_ to ease his mixture of boredom and anxiety. Hiei was standing his usual spot in the dark shadowy corner at the back of the room, becoming increasingly annoyed with Kuwabara's humming. Botan was also there, looking worried as she perched on the desk, staring at a spot on the floor. Koenma had told none of them anything when he sent for them, only that he needed them immediately. Although Hiei had grumbled at first, his three friends – err – well – the two he could _stand_ and the idiot, managed to drag him along.

And now, there they were, all anxious and more than half of them getting sick of waiting. They were waiting for almost an hour before the Prince finally appeared, George at his heels.

"Thank you for waiting," he said solemnly. "I had to contact some colleagues, and became a little preoccupied." They all waited in silence as he clambered into his chair, and watched him with quizzical stares as he sighed. ((a/n: Keep that little bit about 'contacting colleagues' in mind! It's a little foreshadowing hint!)) "I'm sure you're all wondering why I summoned you."

A moment of silence, tension filling the air, then he continued, "Well, it seems we have a dire emergency on our hands. Remember what I said to you before, when Miss Asa left Japan?" Stung, Kurama glared at him, narrowing his eyes at the reminder of the almost month-long pain he'd born, and Koenma cast him an apologetic glance, but didn't pause in his speech, "Well, Kamekai has been threatened, and if the demon threatening it manages to break through our boundaries to get to it, and drinks the divine ambrosia, he will be indestructible. Once that happens, he's fully capable of destroying your world, Makai, and the Spirit World."

"…_Hm_," Yusuke said after a long pause. "So, I suppose we have to find away to beat this guy, huh?"

"That _would_ solve this little problem, yes," Koenma replied sarcastically.

"Okay. What's his name and where can we find him?"

Koenma looked hesitant, and for a moment, didn't answer. Then, choosing his words carefully, he spoke, "You…may remember him. Apparently, he's been in the human world for almost a month, hunting something that was stolen from him…"

_A month…?_ Kurama repeated mentally, furrowing his brow. _That could mean…_

"Yes, if you're thinking what I _think_ you're thinking, Kurama, then you're right. The demon was hunting Asa…his name is Sakai." A unified gasp was heard from the ferry girl, and the two human boys. Kurama glared even worse than before. This case had just gotten personal.

"So _that's_ why," he muttered, earning surprised looks as he eyed the Prince. "The gods _wanted_ her to go." Three mouths formed 'o' shaped, and from the shadowy corner came a disgruntled, "Hn." "So what does Asa-chan have to do with the gods?"

"That question lies answerless thus far, I'm afraid," Koenma replied, sighing again. "But for some reason, they were apt to protect her. The moment they knew that Sakai was coming, they had my father send the tape I had recorded of all Yusuke's cases to her, knowing that she'd leave…" He trailed off, and Kurama knew he wasn't telling them everything he knew, but let it drop. "But, Sakai is somewhere in the city you live in, so you have to seek him out."

Okay, we can go _now_ – !" Botan started, determined to finally see some justice for their friend's plight, but Koenma held up a hand and shook his head, stopping her midsentence.

"No, you may not go with them, Botan" he said. "I have something for you to do _here_. And I'm sure they don't want to be worrying about you."

Finally, the time came for a catty comment from Yusuke. "Well, Toddler, you've sure gotten serious over this! It _may_ be time for Daddy Dearest to wean you off that pacifier!"

"This is no time for jokes, Yusuke." Koenma frowned heavily at him. "Not only the world is in danger, but the gods are, too."

"Whaddaya mean, the gods are in danger too?!" Kuwabara demanded. ((a/n: Okay, quick timeout! I _just_ got out of First Aid (yes, my school _has_ a First Aid class, for half a semester. The other half's whichever sports-like activity we choose i.e. swimming, volleyball, soccer, etc.. This is in place of gym class.). Anyway, we were talking about first aid with poison, and did you know if someone gets poison ivy or oak, they have to remove contaminated clothing before you can treat them? It kinda inspired a _very_ cute couple moment idea! How funny would it be if our little fox demon fell headfirst into a patch of poison ivy…and was _allergic_ to it, out of pure irony of his being strongly tied with plants?! Yay for A/K moment ideas!! Okay, timeout over.))

"Well, if Sakai finds the portal to Kamekai, and _drinks_ the ambrosia, the gods will be forced to intervene. He's already a high-class demon, his demon powers plus the divine ones he'd acquire when drinking the ambrosia would allow him to destroy them easily."

"And if the gods are destroyed, we're screwed, right?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

"In a manner of speaking, we're _more_ than screwed. There is only one power that could stop Sakai if he became what we'll call a divine demon. But not even _I _know what that power is."

"Then how do you know _about_ it?" Yusuke asked.

"There was a legend passed down through the line of High Priestesses; my mother was one ((a/n: little bit of history from the toddler for ya)), and used to tell me the legend as a bedtime story." Kurama's ears had pricked up at the words "high priestesses," and he leaned forward slightly as Koenma continued, "The story went like this…"

- (The Story) -

The world was at peace, if only for a little while. The priestesses, who were meant to guard the world, its people, and the gateway to its gods, were relieved of their duties, and all but one was allowed to leave the Higurashi Temple, the heart of the Divine World's protectors.

This priestess was called Mitsukai ((a/n: sound familiar?)), and it was her duty to care for the world's next protector, its greatest power. Only, it was too soon before the next shadow lay over the world. Mitsukai was destroyed by this shadow, and no one was quite sure if she had been able to complete her task.

Apparently, she had. Though no one knew it, Mitsukai had given birth to a girl-child, who was the bearer of the great power, but how she obtained it and how she accepted it without its destroying her was never recorded. With this power, the little nameless girl broke the shadow, and light was shed over the earth once more. But, with the passing of the power's use, went the need for the girl, and when she used the power, it consumed her.

- (It's over now) -

"And so you see, no one really knows what the power that the priestess's daughter possessed really _was_."

"Okay, so let's make sure we don't _need_ it! C'mon, guys, we've got something _challenging_ to do! I guess we're going to that temple from your story, Toddler?"

"Yes."

"Alright!" Yusuke stood up, and cracked his knuckles, starting out of the office, Kuwabara at his heels, and Kurama and Hiei let them exit the room before they, too, moved towards the door.

Kurama could have sworn he heard Hiei mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, "Damn babysitting." He would have chuckled on any normal occasion, but today, he could only muster up a smile of slight amusement as he followed his three friends into the human world. Sakai, who had already brought danger to someone whom he held dear, had returned to _his_ hometown, after her, and was threatening everything he'd known in both his lifetimes.

Indeed, this case had become _very_ personal.

-

Koenma waited until the Reikai Tentai had closed the door, and then turned to Botan. "I need you to go to Ireland."

"Ireland?" she repeated, furrowing her brow, knowing full well that Asa was the only thing that they had in common with the place. "But why?"

"Asa's finished the first portion of her training." ((a/n: Remember the colleagues? Hehehe!))

-

"Okay, so where's this Higurashi Temple, do ya think?" Kuwabara asked.

"Idiot. It's one of the most popular temples in all of Japan, and you don't know about it?" Hiei returned with a low growl between leaps.

"It's really _that_ famous?! Huh!" Yusuke exclaimed, folding his arms behind his head. "Who'da thunk?!" Hiei rolled his eyes at their shared stupidity, but continued in the direction they were running (or leaping), all at full speed. He hid his amazement at Yusuke's ability to run with his arms folded like they were, and leapt forward a few paces, catching up with Kurama, who was easily outpacing Jeff Gordan in his racecar, let alone his friends.

When he caught up to Kurama, Hiei called to him telepathically. _Fox. Calm _down_. You'll get your chance to avenge what that bastard did to the onna, _I_ promise you _that

Kurama didn't reply, but did slow his pace significantly. In a few seconds, the others had caught up, and they reached the temple in a little less than ten minutes.

The entered the temple gates warily, all four glancing about them at the temple and its grounds. Everything _looked _peaceful enough, but something was wrong… "It's quiet," Yusuke commented. "_Too_ quiet." Indeed, there seemed to be a suffocating silence to the area. They could see the leaves of the sakura trees blowing in the wind, but didn't hear the rustling that normally attended the sight. The sunlight had been chocked, and the entire temple was covered with an eerie shadow. No one was there – no Buddhist monks, no priestesses, and no attendants, even though there should have been enough activity for them to at least _notice_ some more movement.

Finally, Kurama spoke, "He's here."

"Damn, he beat us!" Kuwabara cried in annoyance.

"Calm down. Let's split up and see if we can find anything. If you do, send some sort of signal…and be careful," Yusuke added as an afterthought, nodding at Kuwabara to join him as they branched off from the two demons.

Hiei and Kurama glanced at one another, and nodded. They had a strong feeling about where they were going to look – in the temple's altar room, there was always a portal, customary and erected to honor the Gods and Goddesses. Both knew this, because one of their first 'jobs' together had been to steal some maps that revealed the locations of the two Items they had stolen from Spirit World (a/n: remember that?), and the maps were located in a temple. If the priestesses of _this_ temple had been meant to guard the 'gateway to the gods,' it would be in the altar room.

The temple was, sadly enough, of similar layout to Genkai's Labyrinth, and it was difficult to find the altar room at first, until Hiei spotted a wind chime. _Fox._ Kurama looked, and smirked. Wind chimes were the symbols of the priestess's protective spells, and where there was a wind chime, there was an altar room nearby.

They _knew_ they were right about that, when they heard an echoing, sinister laughter. Glancing around, the two demons raced down a hall, and entered the only door in it, pausing only to observe their surroundings quickly for any means of advantage. The altar room here was made purely of gold, and the portal was between two alters on the opposite end, decorated with sakura, peonies, and white and red roses that had all been braided into floral garland that hung over the door. The altars had all been adorned with white candles, a small glass bowl of water between every pair, and flowers also placed strategically between _them_.

But it wasn't the pretty flowers and candles that caught their eyes…it was the trio of demons in front of the portal. Kurama immediately knew which one was Sakai – the demon, even in human form, was dominating and sent a shiver of fear down his spine. The other two were smaller, probably Class C apparitions, one with dark turquoise hair and fair blue eyes, who looked oddly feminine, and the other was a tall, lean brown-eyed, fair-haired vampiric demon whose elongated fangs were pressed against the outside of his lower lip. Those two would be cake. It was Sakai who Kurama was after.

"Well, well, if it isn't Youko Kurama, King of Thieves and traitor to his kind! And who else…? Hiei, the Jiganshi born into a tribe of _women_ – Ice Maidens!" Sakai laughed from the center of the circlet of demons at the opposite end of the room, the only one of them who didn't turn around when they heard Kurama and Hiei enter.

Kurama felt Hiei grow tense beside of him. He himself didn't mind taking a quick Rose Whip to Sakai's head, but it would have to wait. They had to signal to the others that they'd found the demon first, and he was trying to think fast about how to do that. He glanced around, then at the candles. _Well…it will work…_ he thought, frowning slightly.

"So, where's my little morsel?" Sakai was speaking again, and Kurama barely took notice, except at these words. "I had a nice little snack in that girl, I'll get her back…oh, right, she's _your_ _onna_, isn't she, Youko?"

Kurama glared at him, fire in his eyes. Now. The rose from his hair quickly took on its whip shape and struck a candle, knocking it over. The portal would not be harmed – that was this temple's only worry. In fact, with gold surrounding them, only the silk and plants would burn, and the smoke would tell the others where they were.

"Now, Fox!"

Hiei leapt forth, met in midair by the two demons accompanying Sakai. "Well, Kumori and Harada can entertain your friend, little Youko, but what about you? We don't want _you_ feeling left out!"

"Of course not," he returned, voice dangerously close to a growl. "Must keep your manners in mind. Not that you did when you kidnapped my friend."

"Ah, back to the girl again, eh? Well, if you're _truly_ curious, I'll tell you this much – I haven't had quite such fun in almost sixteen years…since I sent one of my pets after the High Priestess, Ai."

_- This is the bastard who killed Ai… - _

_He's the one who hurt Asa…_

_He needs to die_, both old and young fox demon agreed in unison. Flecks of gold decorated the green eyes, and Kurama was no longer the gentle person he normally was. He was _pissed_.

"Sakai, you _bastard_," he growled, his voice being overlapped by an older one, Youko's. Hiei, in the middle of a two-against-one katana battle with 'Kumori' and 'Harada,' glanced over at his friend, surprised by the anger he sensed reverberating off of him.

"Now, _that_ wasn't nice, Youko. But if you have such strong feelings of hatred for me, why don't you come on over here and _show_ me?"

Kurama wasted no time in so doing. Whip handle drawn by his face, he leapt up into the air, and threw his arm outward, the long thorny Rose Whip went directly toward Sakai's neck, as if to wrap around it. He succeeded, and the thorns cut into the tender skin on Sakai's throat, but the taller demon just smiled when Kurama landed on his feet, holding the whip taut. One swift movement and he'd take off Sakai's head…but it was too easy.

Sakai cocked his head to the side, and started – to Kurama's amazement – laughing. He threw back his head, his laughter echoing loudly in the hall. The whip stretched as his neck muscles expanded, and his laughter turned into a loud roar. Electricity rose from his body, illuminating his black-robed form, and Kurama stepped back as the whip snapped from around Sakai's neck. ((a/n: I got _better_ at fight scenes…btw.))

To the right, Hiei was still in midair, his katana flashing as it blocked the now extended claws of the vampiric demon, and the _hair_ ((a/n: yes, yes, I know – _hair_.)) of the feminine-looking one. He ducked low, then jabbed the katana into the chest of the girly one, causing him to scream in pain. The vampiric one's eyes flashed in anger as his friend fell to the floor with a sickening thud, and he redirected himself so that he was diving toward the Jiganshi, claws out in front of him, set to attack. Hiei smirked, cocking an eyebrow at the amateur mistake.

"First of all," he told Kumori, "You _never_ make yourself vulnerable – " He turned his own body vertically, so that Kumori dove right over him, and brought the katana upward, slicing him down the middle. " – by attacking head-on." He landed in a crouch, sword slung over his shoulder, and stood as the two new halves to the vampiric Kumori landed on either side of him, then looked at his katana, nose wrinkling in disgust as he eyed the blood dripping from it.

Wiping the blood off his sword with his cloak, he turned to see how Kurama was faring…not so well, unfortunately.

Sakai's roar had been the signal that he was transforming – taking on his full demon form. His robe started splitting down the back, revealing black, hairy skin underneath, and he dropped down onto his hands, which were slowly turning into large clawed paws. Kurama's eyes widened once the transformation was complete and a large, precarious panther was left in Sakai's wake, growling ominously as its claws sunk into the golden floor.

Hiei landed beside of Kurama, commenting, "It didn't take you long to make _him_ angry, did it?"

"Apparently not…well, what shall we do now?"

"Hey, guys!" Kuwabara and Yusuke were running into the room now, attracted by the smoke from the altars wafting through the high windows in the room. Once he saw the beast before them, however, Yusuke stopped midstride and exclaimed, "WHOA!"

"Holy shit!" agreed Kuwabara, who ran into Yusuke's back when he, too, witnessed the panther. "Is _that_ Sakai?!"

"He's an S Class demon," Hiei spoke calmly, "We'd be better off attacking as one."

"I'll say. Alright, Hiei and I'll take offensive, Kurama and Kuwabara, _you_ take defensive." They had a problem with this plan, Yusuke could tell, but he knew that out of all of them, if he and Hiei failed, Kurama and Kuwabara would be better off killing a weakened Sakai – especially with how angry Kurama was. The others got into position, Hiei beside him, and he told the shorter demon, "We'd better use our strongest if we wanna do this."

"I know, Detective. So don't fault this up." Yusuke smirked sidelong at him, pointing his finger at Sakai. "Alright, kitty, something tells me it's time for you to get put to sleep!"

Bright light exploded from both Yusuke and Hiei as they unleashed a very strong double-attack of Spirit Gun and Shadow Dragon, both attacks directed at the black pantherlike demon before them. Kurama's whip flew about its paws, knocking it to the ground and keeping it in place, and Kuwabara created a sort-of fence of swords around it, holding it down.

With a loud roar, the light and dark waves of energy both enveloped Sakai, and burst outward in a blinding sphere, the explosion loud and silent, throwing them all off their feet.

When the lights cleared, the group all got shakily to their feet, looking around at the altar room as the smoke cleared, revealing _quite_ a mess of ash, dust, and broken glass. Yusuke whistled, exclaiming, "Someone's gonna be _pissed_ when they see this!"

"We'd better get out of h--…" They all turned in surprise when Kurama's words turned into a sound similar to a choked gasp, and their eyes widened when they saw him looking down at five claws stabbing through his middle. A back of a paw hit his head, knocking him unconscious before he landed and skidded on the ground.

"KURAMA!" Yusuke exclaimed, leaping toward Sakai as he turned to something between the panther beast and a man, his roaring laughter burning into their hatred for him. Sakai swept Yusuke aside as if he were a fly or bee, sending him crashing through a nearby wall of gold, and the detective didn't move. Hiei and Kuwabara, outraged by the attack on their friends, glanced at one another, and (getting along and agreeing for _once_)attacked the beast together with katana and Spirit Sword…only to be swallowed by two dark orbs that Sakai created out of his own energy to entrap them. The orbs imploded, sending the two of them nearly dead to the ground.

"A bunch of _fools_!" Sakai exclaimed, glaring at the bodies of the Reikai Tentai lying around him. "_Never_ again will you be a hindrance to me! I lost two very good demons to you!" He laughed, stepping on Kurama as he passed him, going to the portal to Kamekai. "When I return, Youko, you'd better be alive…I want to see the look on your face when I rip the soul out of your precious _onna_. Until we meet again, my very worthy adversaries!" He bowed to the unconscious boys, and backed into the portal, which took him in with a ripple across its mirrorlike surface, colors flowing out of it the same as the flowers that were now burning upon its golden edges.

They had failed.

-

Injured both in spirit and body, the Reikai Tentai had been gathered by none other than Genkai and Shizuru and taken by car to the Labyrinth to be tended to. Once Botan had returned to them, she was shocked to see them injured so, but she had brought with her Koenma – which in turn was surprising to Genkai.

After exchanging a few words with Genkai, Koenma entered (in teenage form) the room where Keiko, Botan, and Yukina were tending to the injured, Kurama most severely. Kuwabara was already well enough to be flirting with Yukina, in fact, and was currently saying to her, "Oh, Yukina, I could grab the moon from the sky if only to give it to you!"

Yukina, smiling innocently, was replying, "Oh, uh…thank you, Kazuma," and thinking, _He's so confusing sometimes…_ Kuwabara's face lit up bright red, and in surprise and concern, Yukina exclaimed, "Oh, Kazuma, your temperature's raising significantly! Is something wrong? Do your injuries hurt?"

"No, baby, that's just the power of Love," he replied, getting a shoe borrowed from Botan thrown at his head from Hiei, who rolled over and pretend not to care as Kuwabara cursed at him.

Yusuke had his arms crossed over his chest, Keiko at his side, holding Puu in her arms, and glanced at Kurama, who was still partially out of it, when Koenma came in the room. "I…take it none of you are feeling too well," he observed mildly, getting a very "duh" look from Yusuke.

"We got our asses kicked, Toddler. What can we do now?" he asked, glaring up at Koenma.

"I'm aware that your spirits are low, but there's no need to worry. It will take awhile for him to _find_ the ambrosia. But we're going to have to find a way through the portal to protect Kamekai in the meantime…and the only one besides a powerful enough demon who can do _that_ is…a priestess."

"A priestess? Toddler, where the _hell_ do you think we're going to get a priestess? They're not rabbits; they can't just be pulled outta hats!"

"No, they're not…and they can't. But we've got one. She just needs a little more training…and she's here to practice some healing things on _you_ lot, too. Genkai, if you would?"

"We're _coming_, dammit!" she snapped from the hall, and in through the door came both old psychic and –

Kurama snapped upright, fully awake as he spoke in a harsh whisper, mostly from the injury to his lungs, "_ASA._"

---

Okay, everyone...all the guys but Kurama and Touya left me here to do this alone...so the two of them will be responding today! (Touya more because Sazuka asked for him, so I snagged him before he could escape, hehehe...) BOYS!!

Touya: Eh, so bossy...

Kurama: (sweatdrop) Well then. Sun Priestess, thanks for explaining 'sadistic.' As Meka says, "awesome word." And thank you for reviewing. (bows politely and hands over a cookie)

Touya: And Sazuka-chan, I'm back! Uh...thanks for coming to see me! (sweatdrop) (offers a teddy bear) For you!

(whine) No more reviews? Oh well! I got another chappie done in record time!! Bye everybody!!


	15. Chapter Fourteen Asa's Return

Chapter Fourteen- Asa's Return

_I hear the wind call your name.  
__It calls me back home again.  
__It sparks up the fire,  
__A flame that still burns.  
__Oh, it's to you I will always return._

She was there. He wasn't dreaming. She had a rather interesting new outfit – dark blue jean bell bottoms, black boots, and a black tank top under a form-fitting coat. A black choker hung around her neck as well, with an opal pendent hanging from it. Her hair had gotten longer, and her arm was no longer in its cast. She stood there, looking quite different from the innocent girl they'd all known before she went to Ireland, but at his utterance of her name, she turned her pearly blue eyes to meet his emerald ones. It seemed Ireland had softened her temper, for the moment she saw him, she smiled shyly, and those blue eyes began sparkling.

He took a moment to take in her new appearance, unaware of the knowing looks his friends shot his way. She looked _well_. Actually (he almost blushed gracefully but hid it well) she looked _gorgeous_. With that new outfit, more worldly eyes, longer hair…an aura of mystery encompassed her, adding to her already perfect persona.

_Still feel your breath on my skin.  
__I hear your voice deep within.  
__The sound of my lover,  
__A feeling so strong.  
__Oh, it's to you I will always belong._

He vaguely realized Koenma was speaking, but what he said sounded distant and muffled as the girl he was speaking of walked to Kurama's side and sat down, reaching out and taking one of his hands in both of hers.

_Now I know it's true.  
__My every road leads to you.  
__And in the hour of darkness, darling,  
__Your light gets me through…_

At that moment, it seemed like everyone else had vanished, and Asa took his hand into her lap, smiling comfortingly at him as the others listened to the prince.

_I wanna swim in your river,  
__Be warmed by your sun,  
__Bathe in your waters,  
_'_Cause you are the one…_

Heedless of their friends, she leaned forward, putting her lips by his ear, a curtain of dark hair falling over her shoulder to cover her face as she whispered to him, "I'm sorry…I overreacted, and I was wrong… I love you."

_I can't stand the distance.  
__I can't dream alone.  
__I can't wait to see you.  
__Yes, I'm on my way home._

His eyes widened considerably, but when she pulled back, face aflame, he offered her a smile. _I love you, too, Asa-chan…_

_Oh, I hear the wind call your name.  
__The sound that leads me home again.  
__It sparks up the fire,  
__A flame that still burns.  
__I'm on my way – I will always return.  
__Yes, I will always return.  
__I've seen every sunset,  
__And with all that I've learned…  
__Oh…it's to you I will always, always return._

The words had _seemed_ to pass over his lips, but he didn't hear them. Panic swept through him then, as he realized he _couldn't_ speak! A bright light blinded him, and in the next instant, he looked up to see that everything he'd just experienced…

…was a hallucination. (Oh, come _on_, you didn't seriously think it'd be _that_ easy to get them back together, did you? She's still pretty highly _pissed_ at all of them!)

Asa still stood in the doorway, behind Genkai, wearing the black outfit, but her long heir was tamed into a braid that hung over her shoulder, her face was certainly not smiling – it was set in a firm frown – and her eyes weren't meeting _his_; in fact, they couldn't be further _from_ meeting his gaze – she was focused on the doorframe, her head turned away from him.

But he had just hallucinated, and in his mind he'd admitted…his _mind_! His eyes flashed as they turned from Asa to Hiei, who was smirking at him knowingly. _Damn!_ He wasn't taken to cursing, but it was _not_ good when he let his injuries take his conscious thoughts from him and reveal his secrets to the only one of his friends capable of getting to them…

It occurred to him that he'd been right about one other thing from his hallucination – Koenma _was_ speaking – surprise, surprise.

"…and she'll be in Genkai's charge, but _your_ protection. We have time – Sakai can't get all the way through the wormhole into the Divine World until the cherubim decide his soul has been cleansed." (Any Alison Baird fans in here? If so, do you recognize that? All credit goes to Alison Baird for this idea, btw.)

"Wait – _cherubim_?"

"Yes," Asa spoke darkly in reply to Yusuke's question. "Cherubim. They guard Kamekai from evil…and before you ask, Sakai _isn't_ fully evil. The souls he's devoured, believe it or not, have cleansed his own soul enough to make it almost human. So I need to break through the barrier in less than a month, or else we're all – "

" – _Screwed_," Yusuke and Kuwabara finished in unison.

"Not what I was _gonna_ say, but pretty much." _So_, Kurama thought, frowning, _We'll be training her, too._

_Yes, we will. Too bad for you, Fox_.

He glared at Hiei sharply. Now Genkai was telling them, "…so as soon as you can move, Yukina will take you to your rooms."

She took Koenma into the hall for a word, and Asa was bombarded with questions, mostly from Kuwabara and Yusuke.

"How've ya been?"

"What'd you do!"

"Why do you look so different!"

"What _happened_!"

"When did you find out you were a priestess!"

"Where'd ya get those _clothes_!"

"How long 'til you _lose_ 'em?"

"Shut up, Urameshi! This is _Asa_ for crying out loud!"

"Yes, leave her _alone_ you perverted _JERK_!" Keiko slugged him hard on the arm. Asa smirked as he cried out in pain and the couple started to argue. _Just like old times…_She paused then, and glanced at her cast-free arm, dark outfit, then at each of her friends, and added with a rueful smirk, _Well, almost_.

She looked back up, and just as the pair of inquisitive emerald eyes caught hers, she crossed her arms over her chest and edged out of the doorway, turning her head to give a quick smile to Kasumi, Natsumi, Jin, and Touya. "Where've you all been?" she asked quietly.

"We jus' caught up to ye, lass! Haven't we taught ye some patience?" Jin chuckled, earning a raised eyebrow from Asa.

"No. You haven't," she replied tersely, leaving the room. All the girls glanced around, and left Jin and Touya to take care of the guys, exclaiming that it was "girl time," and that they had to see if Asa was still angry about the secrets they'd kept.

"That sounds like a plan, but I would advise you not to annoy her," Touya said. "She could bring down the temple at any time."

The girls exchanged a nervous look, and took Yukina, Kasumi, and Natsumi with them on their quest to reconcile with the younger priestess. She had already passed by Koenma and Genkai, who said that she was going to the gardens, and indeed, it was there that they found her, always having been the one to take care of the flowers in the Labyrinth's courtyards when she could.

At present moment, she was taking small amounts of water from the fountain and pouring it over the roots of a lilac bush. Keiko was the first to approach her, always the motherly sort that Asa could get along with.

"Asa-chan, we need to talk…" she said gently, rousing the girl's attention. Asa nodded to signal to her to begin the conversation, which Keiko feared would be more one-sided than she'd thought. "You're…still angry. For the secret?"

"Shouldn't I be?" Asa asked tersely, standing and dusting off her hands before turning back to them. She glanced at Kasumi and Natsumi with a small smile. "Didn't think you two'd be joining the berate."

"We're just referees," Kasumi said, smirking back.

"Oh, okay. Well then," she turned back to Keiko, Botan, and Yukina. "Give me _five_ good reasons _why_ I shouldn't be angry, and I'll drop it now."

"Firstly, because being angry has changed you – or maybe you did that for a _different_ reason," Botan giggled at Asa's look then. "Secondly, _because_ of that different reason…he's been completely guilty since you left. Thirdly, because you're _Asa_, and being mad at us isn't an option. Fourthly, because if you _don't_ drop it, I'll tell Hiei on you!"

"…Pretty good reasons. Can I offer the ones why I _am_ angry?" She raised an eyebrow, and they nodded. "In not telling me about what you guys have been involved in, you were saying that you didn't trust me as a confidante, which is _really_ not cool. You also proved that all of you only think I'm a child still – and I'm not. You were trying to protect me from something that, had I known about it, would have probably saved me. By lying to me all this time, you all could have been endangered by me, and that's been weighing down on my conscience since I found out about the guys… How the hell did you guys expect me to be able to live with myself, knowing that I couldn't figure this out, and that you might have been feeling a lot of pain from it. What if one of the boys had gotten hurt – or one of _you_? Actually, if I remember correctly, all of you _have_ been hurt!" Her rant had grown from informative to emotional, and they knew then that it was probably wrong of them to hold back in telling her their secret. Tears had started to well in her eyes, but for the life of her, she didn't let them fall. "What if _he_ had gotten…"

She ducked her head down then, shading her eyes, and Keiko could see how hard she was trying not to cry. Surprisingly enough, it was Yukina who stepped forth to comfort their younger friend, pulling her into a hug. "Oh, Asa-chan, you know none of us ever meant to hurt your feelings," she told the girl. "Kurama and the rest of us just thought we _could_ keep you out of this, and keep you the same innocent person as you always were. It is good to be that innocent."

Clouds had started to gather in the skies above them, and soft rain drops fell to the ground around them, but not upon them. Startled, they realized a moment too late that it was Asa who was making it rain – making the sky cry the tears she could not. Softly, she spoke to Yukina, "I just can't forgive him."

"I'm sure you don't mean that, Asa-chan…"

-

The rain was now falling in torrents, signaling to the others that Asa was indeed highly upset with them. But she still was sitting in the tea room with the girls, joined by Genkai, who eyed her with something akin to concern as she glanced outside at the storm. "Yukina, I think the boys can be moved to their rooms now," she advised the young ice maiden, who nodded and went to help them to their new rooms. "Girls, if you would go help her," she added, raising an eyebrow at the others, who took the hint and left, knowing that she meant to speak privately with Asa.

After the door shut behind them, the elder psychic gazed from it to the young priestess who sat staring into her tea. "You've changed, Asa."

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Yes, but not like this. Not even these new powers of yours should have altered your spirit. Something happened in Ireland."

"Yes…something _did_."

"But you won't tell me what."

"Nope. Stubborn ol' me, can't tell anybody anything." Genkai sent her a sharp glare of disapproval, and she shrugged. "I'm _sorry_, Genkai! If I could, I'd gladly tell you _everything_ that happened in Ireland – it was a freaking rollercoaster ride. But I can't. It's a whole big secrecy thing. I _can_ tell you that…I won't be so different for long."

"What do you mean?" Genkai asked, sitting across from the girl.

"What I mean is…" She paused, searching for the right words. "I'm…not like the others now. I have to be that way until…another time." She knew her words were perplexing, but she gave the psychic a look that begged her to understand.

"I see. So, what I think you mean is, you couldn't explain it until you were a full-fledged priestess. Am I right?" Asa broke into a grin, nodding. "Hmm…well, I suppose that's fair. But I _do_ need to ask you one more thing."

"_Aa_?" Asa asked tentatively, raising an eyebrow.

"This new look of yours…was it designed for a _specific_ purpose?" She knew very well that Asa knew what she was talking about, and was answered by the younger girl's blush. "Ah, so it is. I thought as much. I won't pretend to acknowledge that the advice your grandmother gave you is true, but I can assure you…" Glancing about, she leaned across the table, whispering _very_ quietly, "I think you _are_ "letting yourself have it." He _seemed_ very…entranced."

Blushing furiously, Asa replied, "Well thanks for that tidbit, Miss Genkai, but I think I should be going to bed now…"

"Of course. You know where your room is." Asa bid her a hasty goodnight, and fled to her room – just as Yukina was helping Kurama into the one across from hers.

She happened upon the scene of the red-haired fox demon almost falling forward when Yukina rested him against the wall, and hurried forth, more out of instinct than will, to catch him – his face landed in the nape of her neck, but his arms had reached out instinctively to catch himself by bracing against the wall, and when Yukina turned back to them, the result appearance was rather interesting. Asa's eyes were saucer-wide, and so were his, when he lifted his head to stare at her, while she held him up around the midsection and his arms were braced against the wall on either side of her.

"Um…do you think you two could find a more appropriate place for that?" Yukina asked timidly, causing the mortified pair to hastily part. (OMG you don't KNOW how long I've been wanting to do that! (is rolling around laughing on the floor)) She wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders, frowning as if in annoyance, although he could still plainly see her bright blush at such proximity as Yukina took his other arm and both of them led him into the room – which _was_, as previously mentioned, right across from hers, to her chagrin. Genkai must've set her up, she realized with annoyance, cheeks puffing out angrily.

"I'm sorry, Asa-chan," Kurama muttered, drawing her attention back to him. She realized he was speaking about more than what had just occurred, and simply gave him a brisk nod in reply. She _couldn't_ forgive him – but a part of her told her she already had. She _couldn't_ be near him – but apparently, the fates were against her. The rule that she'd learned…just after her training…it had forbidden…

"Asa, we should let him rest now," Yukina interrupted her thoughts, causing her to blink at her, blushing when she realized she'd been tending to Kurama without knowing it, and had just finished fluffing his pillows and forcing him against them while he spoke to the ice maiden and tried to ignore _her_.

"Um…yeah. Sure. Okay. Sweet dreams, Fox-boy." She almost slapped herself in the forehead as she crossed the hall to her room. _Jesus, Asa! "Sweet dreams, Fox-boy?" Could you have come up with anything _less_ obvious!_ Furious with herself, she kicked off her boots and shrugged out of her coat, moving to the center of the room and pulling a piece of chalk out of a small bag attached to her belt. She drew a temporary Circle on the ground (a/n: a Circle is a … well, a circle, with the elements and their symbols designed into it, specifically designed for finding your "center," or collecting your power. Basically for meditating), and sat down in the middle of it Indian style, closing her eyes.

_Umbra. Lumina. Humus. Aqua. Flamma. Ventus. Meas servas, ex vitā, in anima mea. Serva tuus volunta! _(a/n: In translation. "Shadow. Light. Earth. Water. Flame. Wind. My servants, out of life, into my spirit. Serve your purpose.)

The Latin words were familiar now, drawing energy from the elements to balance her mind and make her spirit calm again. After today's activities, she _desperately_ needed that calm. She'd almost blown it twice – by nearly allowing herself to cry, by what she'd just done concerning the fox demon across the hall…

_Calm down, Asa. Chill out. Just concentrate on the words…_

Repeating them to herself further calmed her appearance, and after about ten minutes, the storm outside died down as well. She almost sighed in relief, falling back and folding her arms behind her head as she stared at the ceiling. _I seriously need to get a grip if I plan on letting myself start to get over that damn secret they kept from me. _She bristled. _See, Asa, you're not doing yourself _or_ anyone else any good by getting upset._ Closing her eyes, she thought back to the day her grandmother had taught her the self-calming chant.

_"Asa, take heed of these words, they'll help you… It will be difficult to keep your calm without them, when that boy you're so angry with is near."_

_"Nanna, why _exactly_ am I _wanting_ to stay calm again?"_

_"I have yet to tell you this reason," she sighed. "Asa…a part of the training to become a priestess is within your own soul…until you _do_ gain your full powers, you may not…"_

She awoke several hours later with one hell of a backache. Groaning, she lifted her head and slowly turned it, so as not to further offend the muscles in her neck, to glance at her watch, which told her it was now about six in the morning. She'd spent all night on that damn floor, and now she'd be facing a day full of trying to tend to the boys, who she could help to make their healing process quicker, and possibly doing some training with Genkai, with a throbbing in her shoulders and neck. "Blessed bullshit," she mumbled under her breath. (a/n: my best friend started that curse. We were going down main street while visiting my grandparents in NY and some random guy came up to us and started spazzing out about how he was the Blessed One meant to save our souls and all that… After he walked away, she muttered, "Blessed? Yeah, blessed something… Blessed bullshit." It…was kinda hilarious at the time. Although now I have to wonder if that was some sort of message from God telling me to get my butt in shape… (nervous look))

She stood up, and went to her duffel bag, rummaging through it for some clean clothes then going into the bathroom attached to her room to shower and change, praying that the hot water would do _something_ for her backache.

It didn't, of course, since Irony was a bitch to her.

As big a bitch Irony could be, though, she always seemed to land Asa into situations that on normal days would probably be a _lot_ more enjoyable. Since she wasn't anywhere near a normal day, however, the situation Irony chose to create for her this time seemed…rather stinking cruel. Those damn fates…

Kurama, it seemed, _had_ been healing faster than the others – except for Hiei, who was healing about the same time as him, the two being demons and all, and had made a hasty recovery. _Unfortunately _for Asa as well as the rather disgruntled fox demon, he had an urge to take a shower – and the bathroom Yukina directed him to was across the hall, which he hadn't known was also the one Asa'd be using during their stay.

He was still focused on keeping himself upright, extremely mortified by the thought of another episode like the night before, so the sound of running water didn't reach his usually-alert and -sensitive ears, although it would have been quite a warning sign. He backed into the door, carrying his own change of clothing on his arm, and turned – to meet the utterly horrified gaze of Asa, who thankfully had grabbed a towel over herself just when she'd noticed the door opening.

"Oh…err…" Stupidly, he remarked, "Hi Asa." Then, she grabbed the first thing her hand hit – a bottle of shampoo, and hurled it at him, crying out a vulgar term that he had thought was associated with the fatherless, but apparently could be used for people who accidentally did stupid things as well.

"YOU ARE A DAMN FOX DEMON AND YOU COULDN'T _HEAR_ THAT I WAS IN HERE!" he heard her roar, as he ducked out of the line of fire and shut the door behind him, blushing a brighter red than his flaming hair.

"Mm…oops?" he offered with a nervous chuckle, retreating quickly into his room, but listening closely as Asa continued muttering and practically _crying_ in embarrassment as she hastily dressed and retreated into her own room – locking both doors. (Very Kenshin moment. Sorry. Had to do it.)

However, that was…_not_ the first bad experience the two of them had…

-

OMG I'm getting back into bad experience fluff. All for you guys! (beams) So, any comments from the peanut gallery?

Kurama- O…M…G…

…Did you just speak in Net-English?

Kurama- W…T…F…was THAT!

…(shy grin) Anyway. Review responding now please?

Kurama- ...Uh, sure. We can do that.

I should hope so.

Hiei- Sun Priestess, hi. Yes, everyone's back together...but, you were right, obviously. Asa is still being a moody _onna_. Thanks for the review!

Touya- Hi Sazuka-Chan! Meka-chan made me immortal so you can glomp me so tight my head pops off, but I have no clue what she meant by that, so. Thanks for the review, and you're welcome! And, um...come back, and there'll be cookies and fluff later!

(BTW, Touya's on a sugar-high.)

Kurama- Hi, Mel! We've missed you! And of COURSE I'll still respond to your reviews - you haven't failed anyone by not reviewing that last chapter. We're ALL busy, apparently some of us more than others. (glares at Meka, who shifts away) And don't worry, Asa should heal me all up the rest of the way (adds in a mumble) if she doesn't KILL me first...

Yusuke- Lala, wow...what a cool name. It kinda reminds me of that song by that new chick, Ashlee Simpson.

(Meka pokes him) YOU know about Ashlee Simpson?

Yusuke- ...Yeah? Your point?

(shrug)

Yusuke- Anyway. Thanks for reviewing, and we hope to see you again, too!

Kuwabara- (holding the disclaimer STILL, whispering) I sell secrets for cookies! Give me a cookie and I'll give you a part of the plot. (winks)


	16. Chapter Fifteen Healing Water

Chapter Fifteen- Healing Water

"Here…" Asa lifted a cup of water up and held it to Yusuke, who took it with a raised eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"Something that'll help you, so you can get back on your feet and get back to assaulting your girlfriend so I can watch her beat you up some more," Asa replied, grinning.

"…I don't trust you."

"Why not?" she asked, looking hurt.

"Because you were all pissed off at us earlier and looked about ready to kill someone. This could be your way of getting revenge." She smacked him upside the head, resulting in a loud, "OW!" followed closely by, "What the hell'd you do _that_ for!"

"You. Are. An. Idiot," she supplied in short growled-out syllables. "If I'd wanted to _kill_ you, trust me, I wouldn't go to all the trouble to poison you. I'd just strangle the hell out of you. And then slit your throat." He was staring at her blankly, taken aback by the streak of violence she showed. "…What? You think I won't?" Shaking his head quickly, he took the water from her and downed it. "Good boy. Now, you _will_ feel weird – "

"I _knew_ it!"

" – but only because I put a special medicine into the water," she finished, glaring sharply at him.

"Oh."

"Get some rest. You should be on your feet by morning." She left him in Keiko's good hands then, moving onto Kuwabara's room. "Hey, Catty," she said flatly, kneeling down beside him. "How are you feeling?"

"As long as I have Yukina by my side, I'm fit to conquer the world! Watch out, Napoleon Dynamite!"

"…Catty, Napoleon Dynamite was a movie made in Utah, in the United States," Asa informed him, raising an eyebrow. "I think you mean the French emperor, Napoleon."

"Oh, yeah! _Him_!" Kuwabara pumped a fist, and winced with a whimper. Yukina was instantly leaning over him, asking him if he was alright, and he took advantage of the moment, taking her hands in his and saying, "Yeah, baby! Like I said, with you around, I'm fit to conquer the world."

Yukina smiled, giving Asa a quizzical look. She shrugged in reply. "Catty," she said, drawing his attention back to her as she took a bottle of water and poured it into a mug, then mixed in some medicinal herbs. "You're going to need to drink this, that way your wounds heal more quickly. Then Yukina's going to change your bandages, and you're going to sleep for a long, long time. Understand?"

"Sure. You're gonna make me drink that stuff, though?" Kuwabara turned up his nose at it, giving her a disgusted look.

"I'm sorry, but you have to," she sighed patiently, watching the water turn a purplish color. "Here, it's ready. Drink it while it's fresh or it'll only start to sour and taste really crappy."

"Why're you being all motherly?" Kuwabara asked, just as suspiciously as Yusuke had suggested the non-existent poison.

"Catty, I really don't wanna kill you. Just drink it before I get angry, okay?" He eagerly took the mug and chugged the flavored-water, not even wincing until he swallowed it.

"That was _nasty_."

"I know. I'm sorry, but it had to be done. Don't you feel a little better already?"

"Yes, actually, now that you mention it." He tested a muscle in his arm, mostly showing off for Yukina, who sent another quizzical glance to Asa.

"Alright," she said, completely ignoring him as he tried several muscle-man poses. "Yukina-san, if you'd be so kind as to take care of this bozo, I'll go tend to Hiei."

"Of course, Asa-chan." She left the two of them as she had the first couple, and entered the next room to find Hiei and Botan glaring at each other angrily, the fire demon trying to sit up, the deity trying to make him relax.

"Um…what's going on in here?" Asa asked mildly, raising an eyebrow at the two of them, as they glanced her way with a slightly-relieved look on both their faces. "Botan, he can sit up if he likes. He's not so badly injured as the other two – they're only human, after all."

"_Hai_, but !"

"Don't worry. I'm going to give him a tonic that makes him better." She kneeled down, pulling yet another bottle of water out of her bag of medicinal tools. "Better today, Hiei?"

"_Hn_."

"I'll take that as a "yes." Are your wounds healing properly?" At his glare of death, she rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll rephrase – have you let anyone _look_ at them?"

"No. I don't need any _onnas_ telling me whether I'm healthy or not."

"I'm not going to kill you for that remark simply because you're probably hurting and frustrated with yourself for getting your butt kicked." He moved toward her predatorily, but winced and stopped. "See, _I'm_ separating the pain from the person. Or in your case, the demon. Now, will you please bear with me and cooperate a little?"

"_Hn_!"

"Thank you." She stirred the concoction a third time until it turned the light lavender she'd expected, and handed it to him. He took it slowly, sniffing it and offering a face. "That's the same face I got from the other two – you're letting your humanity show, Hiei. I might have to give you a nickname if you don't stop it."

"Like what?" Botan asked from the other side of the grumbling demon as he drank the medicine.

"I dunno," Asa posed thoughtfully. "I might call him "Fluffy," because of his hair being all aerodynamic. Or maybe I'll call him "Ruby," because of his eyes, or Kit, short for katana, because of his sword. Or, I might just call him wiwwle baby Hiway," she exaggerated the baby sounds of the words so badly that Hiei was tempted to throw his katana at her head – but restrained himself, offering her a smirk.

"You're only doing this because I can't get you back – but wait until I'm better," he warned her.

"I'm sure you'll give me a good beating when you get to train me. In fact, I have no doubt about it. Just wait until then, okay?" He nodded, giving her a smirk which she returned with a steadfast, "Then again, maybe I'll surprise you, and you'll be introduced to the ground?" Trying not to giggle, she hurried on to her next target.

She'd been trying to avoid this for as long as she could. But, it had to be done. And she wouldn't let _him_ suffer just because she was trying to avoid him – she wouldn't let any of them suffer because of her own feelings. She had long since admitted that the secret they kept – the secret _he_ kept – had broken her heart. Then, she admitted that she didn't care about the others keeping the secret – they'd been doing it at _his_ request, so it was _his_ betrayal. And soon after that, she'd sunken into the painful realization that it wasn't _his_ fault – he'd been trying to protect _her_. It didn't keep her from being angry – but she wasn't so much as angry at him as she was at herself, for being too weak to be able to handle such a weight as the secret. And after she had begun to sink into this depression, all this priestess business had happened, and she hadn't really gotten another chance to think about it until she'd arrived in Japan, but of course, her grandmother's words came back to haunt her. (This is completing the little thing from the last chapter…)

_"I have yet to tell you this reason," she sighed. "Asa…a part of the training to become a priestess is within your own soul…until you _do_ gain your full powers, you may not…_feel_, as normal humans do. Your emotions could ruin all the training you've received, and soil your powers, tainting them with evil. Without any emotional constrictions, your soul is free to fully accept the training it will be put under. Until then, you cannot show any physical signs of your emotions – I think you know what I'm talking about."_

_"Um…like, no fighting people out of anger?"_

_"Yes. And?"_

_"And…uh…no, um…hitting things?"_

_"And no hugging your father or your friends, although they may certainly hug you. No crying, even though you're going to want to. No shouting, no impatient sighs. No kissing, young lady," Edna took on that grandmotherly tone that was partially scolding, partially playful, and Asa glared at her as she giggled. "And Asa, try not to become so serious that you forget who you are. That is the worst price to pay for this training, and I would hate for you to pay it."_

She couldn't express those sorrows of hers openly. It completely sucked, to say the least. And while she couldn't express emotion, she was dealing with people who made her emotions react strongly – one in particular. Her heart throbbed every time he was around, and now she had to go see about tending to him, for although Genkai was supposed to, the old psychic was nowhere to be found when she was deemed useful. Of _course_.

She stopped short just outside his door. She could hear his breathing, quiet, practiced, calm, on the other side of the rice paper wall, and knew that he was either sleeping, or awaiting her with such anxiety as she had about seeing to him. She dragged in a deep breath, and let it out slowly, before tapping gently on the door once. She heard the acknowledging sound from his throat, something between a sigh and a word, and slid the door aside, padding inside.

After the full weight of the experience the day before had caught up with him, Kurama had been beating himself with guilt, both for his foolishness and rudeness, and had been thinking about how to apologize to Asa all morning, knowing that she would be coming to see him sooner or later. When he saw her standing in the doorway though, her eyes avoiding his, the words left his mind.

"Um…I…how are you?" she finally asked, stammering.

His voice found its way out of a dumb mouth, miraculously, and he heard himself say, "I'm fine, thank you." She offered a weak, timid smile, and hesitantly joined him at his side. He knew she was still pretty angry with him, and after everything he'd put her through, he didn't blame her. He'd been kicking himself ever since the day she left him in Japan with a sore cheek and a broken heart, his name leaving her lips in a completely different manner than he was used to.

He almost sighed as he remembered it, watching her start to mix the ingredients together into another mug. When she'd spoken his name, as if it were an evil omen, his heart had clenched, and engraved upon its surface that poison in her voice. He had remembered all the other times, when she'd known him as "Shuuichi," and spoken his name softly, as if it were a sacred word that needed to be honored with gentleness. She'd said it like a prayer. And it occurred to him that the last time she'd actually spoken to him and used his name was that day when she left for Ireland. Sadly, he turned his eyes upward to gaze at her face, and found, to his surprise, something there.

She was hiding something from him.

"Asa - …" he started, only to be silenced when she held the mug up to him.

"Drink it – it'll help you," she told him, staring at her hands that were now folded in her lap uselessly. He hurriedly downed the drought, and continued.

"Asa, I'm sorry."

"Don't." She glanced upward at him, then away again. "You don't need to apologize. _Alea iacta est_."

"_Nani_?" he asked in surprise. Her lips quirked upward for a moment, verging on a smirk – but it was only for a moment, and the smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"_Alea iacta est_," she repeated. "It's Latin." He stared at her stupidly, and she sighed. "_Hai, hai_, I'm a multilingual idiot. Leave me be. "_Alea iacta est_" means "the die has been cast." It's a cliché for what's done is done, you can't go back. Understand?"

"What's done is done," he repeated slowly, staring at her. "Then, you're _not_ angry?"

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't. But I can't change it, I can only learn to accept that you lied to me all that time, that you're…not really who you said you were, and that it was probably more my fault then yours."

Surprised, he spoke, "How so? If I remember correctly, it was _I_ who kept the secret, Asa-chan."

"_Aa_, but it was because you thought you had to protect me – because I was naïve and innocent," she replied, crestfallen.

"But that's one of the things I like _most_ about you, Asa-chan…your purity," he responded sincerely, giving her a strangely comforting look. She would have smiled and blushed on any other occasion, but on this one, her pale cheeks blanched further.

She rushed back to her feet, stammering. "I-I have to go. Get some r-rest, Kurama. You all should be a lot better by tomorrow."

She rushed from the room, leaving him in a mixture of confusion and awe. She'd spoken his name again…and her voice had held in it that same silky texture as it had before she had discovered his secret. She'd been caring in that moment, and he'd seen it. He looked from the door as it closed after her departure, to the empty mug she'd left behind.

It had dawned on him that she was hiding something from him, but he hadn't been quite sure what. In this brief interview, however, it seemed to him that something might have happened to her, or that she might be keeping a secret of her own that was punishing her as his had him.

Thoughtfully, he lifted the mug, looking at it, then his eyes rested on the soft rice paper walls that separated him from the view of Asa hurrying down the hallway nervously. His voice was also thoughtful, and tender, as he spoke, "Perhaps we are not the only ones who need some of this healing water of yours, Asa-chan…"

Sakai opened his heavy eyes, looking about himself curiously at first. His movements were sluggish, but he raised his hand before his face to look upon it. No different. The bright light surrounding him, what was it?

Where was _he_?

He couldn't exactly remember, but he knew why he had come here – there were things he needed to _do_. In this world…this world he was trying to get to. He'd entered…a portal! That was it.

His fist clenched as he tried to remember the rest of his reasoning. He'd entered a portal, and was now in a place of light. The interverse, the space between two portals. He was here because…

Because he had to be purified, or…made human, as human as he could possibly get. He was going into the Divine World. He was going there to become something that no man nor demon could defeat.

He was going to become a god, and he was going to destroy those damn fools who separated his world from the human's once and for all.

He was going to have that girl, too. That Asa.

-

Okay, _wow_. That was a lot shorter than usual! But now we have another part to the secret laid out, don't we? Um…people?

(crickets chirp)

………..Guys?

(YYH boys appear, looking around at the emptiness sadly)

Kurama- How…solemn. We've been forgotten, Meka-chan, and it's all your fault.

How's it MY fault?

Yusuke- Well DUH, you don't update enough!

Hiei- _Aa_, _baka onna_. Now you've done it.

Kuwabara- Aww, leave her alone! She made Asa nickname me Catty, and that's a cool nickname! (gives Asa a teddy bear, still holding disclaimer)

……(sniffle) Thank you, Kuwabara. (sniffle sniffle) It just feels so…_lonely_…guys, can I have a hug?

(all YYH boys shrug, and let her give them hugs)

Thank you. I think I might go…write some more now…_so lonely_… ;.;

Yusuke- Um…should we be worried?


	17. Chapter Sixteen The Game

Chapter Sixteen- The Game

Only the day following Asa's motherly care of the boys (well, except for the one she sort of ran out on), they were all on their feet, walking around, stiff and mildly sore but pretty much healthy. Yusuke and Kuwabara's first choice of business, of course, was to grab a ton or two of food and shovel it down their throats while Keiko and Genkai watched in disgust and Yukina happily brought them more, always the one to serve. At Genkai's urging, Kurama had joined them, but only picked at the wasabi that had been brought to him.

"Ish somefing wong, Kumama?" Yusuke asked, words muddled by his mouthful of rice. When the fox demon gave him a curious gaze, he swallowed down the huge supply of rice he'd just chewed, and repeated, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Kurama lied smoothly.

Kuwabara smirked, and explained to his friend, "Asa-chan hasn't been around all day, and everyone knows Kurama can't be _sane_ without _her_." He carefully avoided the glare of death thrown his way by their friend, and continued, "And she's being all aloof again like she was the other day. I was getting hopeful yesterday with all her motherly stuff and calling me "Catty" that she'd snapped out of it. But I guess not." He shrugged, continuing to stuff his face while Kurama gazed on sadly.

"Oh, so _that's_ it. What happened between you two, huh?" Yusuke asked, leaning over to elbow him and wag his eyebrows meaningfully. Kurama strongly resisted the urge to stab his eyes with the chopsticks he was holding, and took a deep breath.

"I was trying to talk to her – she admitted that she's still a little angry, but not at _us_. Then, she just…left." He carefully left out the part where he'd given her a sweet compliment, and blinked at the expression that spread over Keiko's face. "Do you know something we don't, Keiko-chan?"

"Um…not really, but I _am_ aware of girl's goings-on, being, you know, a _girl_. Why didn't you just ask one of us what was bothering her?" He shrugged, looking at her expectantly. "Well, if you told her something that upset her or…something, she probably left because she didn't want to be feeling what she was feeling at that time. It's complicated," she added, upon seeing all three of their faces grow puzzled. "Asa's gone through a few…_changes_ in her time away from us. She's more secluded, and she's trying to isolate a lot of her emotions for some reason. I think that's why she's wearing all the black of late."

"Oh, so she's _toying_ with him?" Yusuke asked, after a moment of staring at his girlfriend like she'd sprouted wings from her head. She furrowed her brow, wondering where he'd come up with _that_ conclusion, and was about to open her mouth to interject, but the damage had been done. He turned to Kurama, and said, "Well, in that case, _I_ think you should be toying right back."

"I'm…not so sure that's a good idea, Yusuke," he responded, blinking a few times.

"Sure it is! It's kind of like a game – intimidate her. Call her bluff. Do whatever it takes, but _win_ the game!" Again, Keiko tried to speak her words of balm to Yusuke's words of injury, but she stopped, shaking her head at herself when she saw Kurama's eyes change as he took in this information, and wrapped his brain around it. She shrugged and sighed. _Maybe a little game is just what Asa needs?_ she thought to herself. _And who knows, it might be just what Kurama needs, too!_

_- _

Asa wandered through the Labyrinth's halls, looking about and wondering why she hadn't thought to ask Genkai for a map to the place. There were intersections and dead ends _everywhere_ – she wasn't sure where she was _now_, but she was trying to get to her room for some well-needed peace and quiet. Everywhere she'd gone so far, it seemed someone was there waiting for her. She'd run into Genkai in the garden, then Botan and Yukina in the kitchen, Keiko and Yusuke outside, Kuwabara running around the training room like a headless chicken, running _from_ Shizuru, who wanted to kill him, _again_, and now…great.

"Hn, what're _you_ doing in _this_ part of the temple, _onna_?" The only mind-reader out of the bunch. Damn. She gave Hiei a sharp look.

"Maybe you could tell me _what_ part of the temple I'm _in_, and I'll gladly leave," she replied.

"You're in the south wing. _My_ part."

"Oh, great, now you're being territorial, too. Why's this _your_ part?"

"It's the darkest. I can move around. And no one else usually comes here." He crossed his arms over his chest and stood there, looking up at her from her only slightly superior height, eyes narrowed.

"Huh. That figures. Well, could you tell me how to get to _my_ part, then?"

"Turn around and don't turn in any of the intersections. When you get outside, take your left hall and follow it straight to your room."

"Um…do you know the _entire_ layout to this place or something? Because that was pretty weird."

"Hn, better to know where you are than to wander around like a little lost puppy," he returned, quirking an eyebrow at her. She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest as well, perfectly mimicking his aloof stance. His eyebrow arched higher. "I wouldn't mock me, Asa. I still owe you for yesterday, and _now_ I can walk."

"You wouldn't hurt me, and you know it. Especially not _here_, in a temple. So blah!" She stuck her tongue out at him and he fought hard not to chuckle or snort in amusement, instead offering a smirk.

"You really haven't changed so much, have you?" he asked, to her annoyance. "He's not here, either, if that's what you were really looking for." Damn, again! He really did know her too well, and that psychic thing wasn't a big help, either.

"Okay, so maybe I _was_ hoping to find him, too. I haven't seen him around…and I didn't know how he was doing," she admitted, tone softening mildly.

"He's fine. That draught you administered to us has all of _us_ on our feet, why wouldn't _he_ be alright?"

"I…uh, I kinda ran out on a conversation we were having. I'm not sure if he…you know, was…"

"Alright with that?" he finished for her, as she nodded and blushed. "I'm sure he was confused, but Fox isn't glass. He won't break so easily. You needn't worry." Surprised at his encouraging tone, she glanced upward at him, and smirked.

"You know, you should try more of that brotherly love crap on your sister – when you finally tell her about being her brother, of course." He gave her a look, but saw the playful sparkle in her eyes, and nodded.

"Maybe I will. _When_ she knows. Now, you'd better go, if you really want some peace and quiet. The idiot's on his way, and I might take advantage of being able to kill him today." They both knew that he wouldn't, of course, but she nodded and smirked anyway, turning around and running through the halls as he'd instructed. She arrived at her room in less than five minutes, then muttered a quick thank you to Hiei, knowing he'd probably hear her.

She paused in the hall, turning her eyes over her shoulder at the room across from hers. It was nearly dusk now, and she hadn't seen him anywhere. Was he in _there_? She couldn't hear him moving or breathing, a now familiar sound that haunted her every waking moment while she was in her room. She held her breath, listening for any signs of his presence, but after a moment, released it. He wasn't in his room. She should have known that. He probably wouldn't be there until after dark.

She stole into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her. Glancing around, she determined that it was _way_ too dark to actually get any work done, and ventured to seek out another means of light besides the torches out in the hall that glowed faintly through the rice paper walls, casting a lurid luminescence over the place.

Thankfully, Asa found a few pillar candles in a drawer of the night stand beside her futon, but no lighter. No matter, she thought, shrugging and setting the candles around the room on the dresser, night stand, and desk. She lifted her index finger, copying Yusuke's Spirit Gun pose, and closed one eye, aiming her pointer finger at the first candle. Holding her breath, she focused some of her energy on making a small fire ball, which lit up her fingertip, then fired it at the candle. Perfect shot! She restrained herself from doing a little victory dance, and used the first candle to light the others.

Content with the light she now was graced with, she went to her dresser, on the other side of the room, and opened it, pulling out some of her new dark clothes to reveal her more characteristic baby blue fuzzy pajamas. She smirked, picturing the look of surprise on Kurama's face from earlier, when she'd first arrived in Japan in her new black wardrobe. If he only _knew_… Sighing, she moved to the closet and opened it to reveal her sketchbook and some pencils, among other things she'd kept in there.

At least she could still be her normal self when it came to her artwork. Might not

be much, but it was a start. She put her things on the futon, also finding her portable CD player and headphones amidst a bunch of CDs in the bottom of her day bag. Then she carried her CD stuff over to deposit it on the futon, as well. Finally, she went to the door that led to the bathroom, checking for any signs of Kurama's presence and then locking the door that he would have used, and grabbed her PJs from her room so she could change.

Once she was her pretty, young self again in her light colored clothes and with her hair braided loosely, she put her clothes from that day into the duffle bag at the bottom of her closet and sat down on her futon Indian style, tucking one of the two locks of hair that were too short to be braided with the rest behind her ear and popping a CD into the CD player as she put her headphones on. She had recently taken a liking to a particular song she'd heard on an Anime show that she liked; Inuyasha. ((Don't own it!)) It was called Every Heart. ((Don't own THAT, either!)) Her lips curved upward as the first chords of the soft melody reached her ears, and she unconsciously half-hummed the song to herself as she picked up her sketchbook and scooted back so that she leaned against the wall, folding her legs upward to prop the sketchbook up on them and reaching for her pencils.

_Ikutsu namida o nagashitara_  
_Every heart__  
Sunao ni nareru darou  
__Dare ni omoi tsutaetara  
__Every heart  
__Kokoro mita sareru no darou_

_  
Nagai nagai yoru ni obieteita_  
_Tooi hoshi ni inotteta_

_Meguru meguru toki no naka de_  
_Bokutachi wa ai o sagashiteiru_  
_Tsuyoku tsuyoku naritai kara_  
_Kyou mo takaisora miageteiru_

_  
Donna egao ni deaetara_  
_Every heart_  
_Yume wo fumidasereruyo  
__Hitowa  
__Kanashimi no mukou ni  
__Every heart  
__Shiawase ukabete nemuru_

_  
Itsuka itsuka subete no tamashii ga_  
_Yasuraka ni nareru youni_

_  
Meguru meguru toki no naka de_  
_Boku tachi wa ikite nanika wo shiru__  
Toki ni warai shugoshi naite  
__Kyou mo mada aruki tsuzukete iku_

_  
Osanai kioku no kata sumi ni_  
_Atatakai basho ga aru soushi_

_Hoshi tachi ga hanasu mirai ga  
__Itsumo kagayaite ita  
__So shine._

_  
Meguru meguru toki no naka de_  
_Bokutachi wa ai o sagashiteiru_  
_Tsuyoku tsuyoku naritai kara  
__Kyou mo takaisora miageteiru_

_  
Meguru meguru toki no naka de_  
_Boku tachi wa ikite nanika wo shiru__  
Toki ni warai shugoshi naite  
__Kyou mo mada aruki tsuzukete iku._

Asa's smile had grown a little wider, and she had closed her eyes, then opened them to start sketching something. She didn't know what; her hand was doing the sketching, she was just following its orders as she listened to the song. To her dismay, she saw when she was finished – and Kurama's picture sketched by her own hand smiled peacefully up at her, all the mystery in his eyes still there on her paper. "_Chikushou_," she muttered under her breath, ripping the paper from the book. She couldn't destroy it, though. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to crumple it up. So, instead, she folded it as many times as the paper would allow, and buried it in the nightstand's drawer under all the other candles that were there. She'd hide it someplace more suitable later.

She thought she heard a ruffle of fabric outside her door, and paused her CD player, listening. Then, a soft knock resounded through the room. "Come in," she called in annoyance. She half-figured it was Botan or Yukina, and only just masked the instinct to call whoever it was in pleasantly with her annoyance at her sketching. Holding in a sigh of relief and cursing herself for her near-screwup, she looked up to see someone she didn't want in her room at all at the moment – Kurama, looking concerned with his brow furrowed, one eyebrow arched to his hairline in curiosity. She realized with another mental curse that he'd probably been in the hallway long enough to hear her ripping out the sketch and cursing under her breath. Damn it all, anyway.

Furrowing her brow in agitation as she threw her headphones aside and got quickly to her feet, revealing the fact that she had a tank top on that went a little bit above her naval and flannel pajama pants that were clinging to her form quite visibly. He suppressed a gulp, and forced his eyes to meet hers as he asked, "_Daijobu_, Asa-chan?"

"_Hai_, I'm fine," she nodded brusquely, her eyes cold. "Sorry if I was making too much noise." It didn't go unnoticed to her that he was ready for bed as well, dressed merely in pajama pants, topless but for the dark red robe that was thrown on loosely and still open to reveal his chest. Thank goodness her face was hidden in shadow since her back was to the candles, she thought, feeling her cheeks grow warm. (a/n: hehehehehe… (grows horns))

"You weren't, I was just worried…I see you've returned to your original color…" he commented, eyeing the bright blue color of her pajamas.

"It's only because they don't make flannels in black," she retorted.

He paused, looking closer at her face. "I see… Are you certain you're quite alright?" he asked, noting that even in the shadow, her face looked awfully red. "You look as if you may have a fever…"

Her eyes visibly widened a bit, and she turned her face away, mumbling, "Yeah, I'm fine…goodnight, Kurama." The tone of her voice indicated that she clearly wanted him to leave. Kurama's brow furrowed as he remembered what Yusuke was saying earlier. She was toying with him…and he should toy right back.

"I'm not sure you _are_ okay…and I am not going anywhere," he replied, his voice strangely, almost deliberately, low and menacing. She looked up then, surprised by his intimidating voice and proximity as he stepped into the room and crossed his arms over his chest. Her blush was gone, fast.

"I told you that I'm fine, Kurama, you don't need to worry about me," she replied, not moving away. If she did, he'd think she'd given him the upper hand. She was very suddenly aware that she didn't want to be here right now – she wasn't good with confrontation. However, she swallowed her fear as best she could, standing to her full height and eyeing him with contempt. "And you _are_ going somewhere, because you're currently invading my four foot diameter of personal bubble." He was caught off guard by the admission, and stepped backward. She again had the upper hand. Since he was standing in her doorway, she eyed the door pointedly, then looked at him.

This annoyed him. He didn't know _why_ she was shunning him, and was surprised that it annoyed him so. Yes, he had lied to her about who and what he was, and _yes_, _maybe_ he had used her a bit…hell, she'd been there for him when he broke up with Maya and everything, why should she have to put up with him keeping secrets from her for as long as he had? But he did _not_ deserve the way she was treating him now.

The annoyance and hurt she saw in his eyes made her bite her lip, and he caught the action, but couldn't discern it from being either impatience, anxiousness, fear, or regret. She wasn't exactly the _easiest_ person to read, after all. She merely stared at him for a moment more, then said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Goodnight, Kurama."

He stepped backward, a little surprised by the tone of voice she'd reverted to, and she closed the door in his face, her silhouette still visible through the thin rice paper as she leaned back against the door and sighed heavily. He thought he saw her shoulders tremble, but he couldn't be sure, and simply backed across the hall into his room, closing the door and turning to it before he grumbled to himself. He'd allowed her to push him away, _again_.

Asa went to the futon, then, thinking about it, paused to sweep her sketchbook and pencils onto the floor, and blew the candles out so she could crawl underneath the blanket that lay on the futon. She pulled her CD player to her, shoving the headphones in place over her ears and opening the CD player to pop in an American CD that she'd learned to like at the beginning of her dark and mysterious days. They were called Evanescence ((don't own that, either)). Turning the music up all the way, she listened to the song that reminded her most of her current situation, _Taking Over Me_. The tune immediately calmed her frayed nerves, and she sighed, relaxing into the pillow as she listened to it.

_You don't remember me,_  
_But I remember you.__  
I lie awake and try so hard  
__Not to think of you._

_But who can decide what they dream?_  
_And dream I do…_

_I believe in you._  
_I'll give up everything just to find you._

_I have to be with you,  
__To live, to breathe,  
__You're taking over me._

_Have you forgotten all I know,_  
_And what we had?__  
You saw me mourning my love for you,__  
And touched my hand.  
__I knew you loved me then._

_I believe in you._

_I'll give up everything just to find you.  
__I have to be with you,  
__To live, to breathe,  
__You're taking over me._

_I look in the mirror and see your face,_  
_If I look deep enough.  
__So many things inside that are just like  
__You are taking over…_

_I believe in you…_

_I'll give up everything just to find you.  
__I have to be with you,  
__To live, to breathe,  
__You're taking over me._

_I believe in you._  
_I'll give up everything just to find you.__  
I have to be with you,  
__To live, to breathe,  
__You're taking over me._

_Taking over me._

She was half-asleep before the song ended, and as she finally drifted off, tears were at the corners of her eyes as she whispered, "_Gomen_, Kurama-kun…" She didn't realize that someone had come to check on her, and was currently standing outside her door, lifting his hand to knock when he heard her say this.

Yusuke paused, blinking, and looked across the hall to Kurama's room, to see a light through the rice paper door that indicated that the fox was in his room reading or whatever he did before he went to sleep. The spirit detective looked at Asa's door again, and quietly, opened it ajar to peek inside.

He saw from the small amount of light offered by torches that lined the walls of the temple that Asa was asleep, but tears were pouring down her face, and she was listening to an unfamiliar song that he knew was from America. His brow furrowed, and he shut the door, just as quietly as he'd opened it.

_If Asa's apologizing to him in her sleep…she must _really_ be toying with him, that's why she's changed her attitude and wardrobe…but why would she…OH!_ His eyes lit up as he realized Asa's plan. _She wants to…well, what a little smartass. I'll have to give her congrats later. I'll just leave her alone now, though…poor thing._

He shook his head in amusement, glancing again at Kurama's door, and shrugged his shoulders, sighing and heading off to bed. He'd check on the love birds again when he woke up in the morning.

-

Asa awoke with a start, sitting up and gasping aloud as she sensed something strongly amiss nearby. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest she feared it might explode, and her headphones that still rested on her ears told her that the CD had long since been finished. She tossed the headphones aside, immediately standing and walking to her dresser, though she knew from the pitch black in the room that it was still sometime in the middle of the night. She looked down at her watch, catching some of the light from the hallway's torches through the thin door, and saw that it was only about two in the morning.

She paused once she'd reached the dresser, realizing that the deep, even breathing she heard was Kurama's. He wasn't snoring, but she could hear him like he was in the room. These walls were freaking _thin_. She vaguely wondered if he could have heard her wake up, but shrugged the idea away as she thought, _Impossible; he'd have woken up, too…_

She fumbled around in her dresser, and pulled out a pair of black bell bottoms, and a black button-up blouse that was rather snug on her. She hurried into the bathroom to change, afraid of waking Kurama, and when she returned, she found her brush in her bag, pulling out her braid and pushing the brush through her raven wing locks a few times before she pulled it all back into a high pony tail that Botan had taught her how to do. Even still, those two damnable locks at each side of her face were too short to put up. She didn't bother with her choker, but grabbed her coat as she slipped into her boots.

Whatever was going on, she couldn't let it continue. That much she knew her instincts were telling her. She was outside of her room, quietly closing the door, when she heard a sudden, short gasp. Turning to Kurama's room with concern, she tiptoed across the hall to lay her ear against the crack of the door. She could hear his labored breathing as he tossed and turned in his sleep, and a few mumbles could be heard as well, something that sounded like the name, "Ai…"

Her brow furrowed in concern, but she shrugged it off, hurrying down the hall so she could exit the temple. She followed her strange feeling from the temple into the woods around it. It was a demon, she was sure.

_Come on, Asa…you can find this thing…_ she told herself in annoyance, looking around the woods carefully. _You're a priestess now, after all, you dope. Use your awareness…find what you're looking for…let yourself have it…_ She closed her eyes, and could picture something far to her right.

"Got ya," she mumbled victoriously, running off in the direction of the strange feeling. She didn't go far, when she heard a 'swoosh' and caught a blur of red passing right in front of her. "…Crap," she squeaked, just as a red, ugly demon grabbed her throat and threw her back into a tree, pinning her up against it. Her feet dangled, and she choked underneath the pressure of his hand at her neck. _Maybe _you_ got _me…

She eyed the creature angrily, as it spoke, "My, aren't you a pretty little thing? And where'd you come from, Priestess?"

"None of your business," she shot back, growling in fury.

"Hmm…you smell like that old psychic, Genkai," he said, narrowing his eyes. "And a _kitsune_…" He leaned close to her, running his nose over the skin at the base of her throat.

"Get away from me!" she exclaimed, flinging her knee upward – and hitting a rather sensitive spot that sent the demon flying backwards into a fetal position. Asa fell to the ground on one knee, and was instantly on her feet, looking up at where the demon had landed – to see that it disappeared. "_Kuso_…" she grumbled under her breath.

"It's not nice to curse like that, young Priestess," hissed a voice right at her ear. She spun around, throwing her fist up at the demon's face, but it grabbed her wrist, then her other as she threw up her other hand to wrench the first free. "You're quite adorable when you're frustrated, you know that?"

"Shut up and stay away from me, you prick," Asa ground out. She pulled back as hard as she could, throwing herself back onto the ground and flipping him over her head, kicking her foot upward to throw him. The wind was knocked from his lungs, and he released her hands, allowing her to get up and turn to him. Her skin had marks that looked like burn scars where he'd held her on her wrists and at the base of her throat. She knew now what kind of demon this was. An _Akumu Youkai_; a nightmare demon. They had the power to probe one's deepest subconscious fear and use it against them. He'd already gotten to one of her lighter nightmares – one involving her mother's death and her own near-fatal experience.

She hadn't told anyone, not even Kurama, how her mother had died. She was only six years old, and had been asleep in bed beside her mother, since her father had gotten called into the hospital, when something had happened, and the house was suddenly engulfed in flames. Her mother hadn't gotten enough time to wake up and save both her child and herself – she wrapped Asa in her robe that she'd doused with water, and with her last hope of saving her daughter, took her to the back deck, that hung over a lake. She had dropped Asa, knowing that she could swim fairly well, into the water, but the deck collapsed inward, and her mother hadn't escaped the fire that left her daughter with a burn mark on her back.

It was almost expected by the _Akumu_ that Asa was highly pissed.

"Ah, you've discovered who I am now, have you?" he asked, standing up now that he had his breath back. "Young Priestess, you don't seem to understand who you're up against. I am Osore, a Class C demon. There are few who can survive my attack."

"I couldn't care less who you are, or who can or can't survive your 'attack'. I just want you dead."

"But if you kill me, you'll be haunted until you face your fear," Osore smirked, "No mere mortal wants to face their fear, which is why they run from it."

"My mother taught me something that contradicts your theory, demon," Asa said, raising her hands in front of her, palms up, and closing her eyes. "She said that fear is only a tool used to intimidate people. She was right. I don't get easily intimidated, not anymore." A huge energy erupted from the girl in front of him, and a white sphere appeared in the area above her palms. Her eyes opened, and they were glowing a bright white color, the irises and pupils completely gone. She threw the energy ball at Osore, and with a sharp cry, he vanished. She dropped to her knees, spent, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps as her eyes returned to their normal ice blue color and her spirit energy subsided.

She was surprised, when she finally managed to stumble to her feet and return to the temple, that no one had felt her enormous spirit energy and woken up. Of course, she wasn't surprised for long…Genkai was standing in the hallway outside her door, waiting for her, and smiling when she saw her trudge up the hall.

"You did well," Genkai said quietly, glancing at Kurama's door. Asa hid her wrists and ducked her head to put a shadow over the burn mark on her throat, nodding at Genkai once. "Rest now. They're not going to go easy on you tomorrow. And don't worry, no one but me knows. Spirit awareness weakens when one is in a soporific state."

"Kay…_arigato_, Genkai…_oyusami_," Asa mumbled, waving slightly as she went into her room. Genkai waited until she heard Asa's even breathing, then smirked, turning and walking down the hallway to return to her room. Asa would not be resting easy tonight – she'd killed an _Akumu Youkai_ – she'd probably have more nightmares than she'd care to discuss.

-

Asa looked at herself in the mirror above the bathroom sink the next morning, then shook her head with a frustrated sigh. She hadn't had a night terror since she was eight, but her dreams after she'd returned had been filled with frightening images of her past, and there were bags under her eyes to prove it. Even a long, hot shower had not removed the dark circles.

She tightened the towel that covered her to her knees instinctively, and without another thought, she reached for the small bag of emergency makeup she carried with her, finding the concealer and applying a good amount underneath her eyes. Satisfied, she reached for the clothes she'd chosen to wear for her first training session – her black bell bottoms, these being thin, easy-to-move in cargos, a dark violet sleeveless turtleneck to conceal the bandage and burn scar on her throat, and some training tape that she'd worn back when she was in karate class ((if you've ever been in any fighting class, you know the stuff I'm talking about, that you can wrap your knuckles and wrists in? It's awesome!)) so she could hide the well-wrapped burn marks on her wrists, as well. She didn't want any of them worrying about her.

After she was ready, she brushed her hair into a quick braid to keep it out of her face, and left her room, trying to remember her way around the Labyrinth of Hell. She paused at the intersection of hallways, and was surprised when a bubbly voice asked from behind her, "Not lost, are you?"

"Botan!" Asa cried, turning around and gripping her friend in a hug. "Dude, I am so far lost, it's ridiculous."

Botan giggled, "Well, come with me. I'll get you to the kitchen so you can eat something before your big day!" Asa nodded in gratitude, but wasn't very hungry all of the sudden. In fact, as she mused over how her day might go, her appetite completely disappeared. Her nerves were already frayed as it was. She did _not_ need a panic attack today.

Attempting to calm herself, she asked, "Botan, what do you think the boys are gonna have me do today?"

"Not sure, they were talking about it a little bit last night, though…I think you've got your own special training program."

"Crap. That can't be good."

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it," Botan shrugged. "You'll do fine."

"Yeah, okay…"

"I heard you had a little confrontation with your Knight in Shining Armor last night!" Botan cried.

"_Oi_, can you say that any louder, Botan? I don't think they heard you in _Scotland_!" Asa shot back, furrowing her brow at Botan, who blushed lightly, lowering her voice.

"Sorry," she giggled, "But seriously, what happened?"

"Not much. Just told him to get out of my four foot diameter of personal bubble and some other crap. Something tells me he had a heart-to-heart with one of the guys, and they encouraged him to act like an ass. He was being more stubborn than freaking Hiei!" Asa snorted, narrowing her eyes. Botan nodded in understanding.

"So, in truth, he kinda intimidated you, right?" she asked, smiling knowingly.

"Sorta…but don't tell _him_ that," she replied with a nod of her head. "In fact, you're not supposed to tell him much of _anything_ we discuss…period."

"Gotcha," Botan said eagerly, folding her hands behind her back as she leaned forward slightly to look Asa in the face. Something about the girl's eyes was troubling Botan. The eyes were mirrors to the soul, and if that was true, something was _definitely_ wrong with Asa. "Hey, Asa-chan…did you sleep much last night?"

"…_Aa_, why?" Asa asked, furrowing her brow and averting her eyes to look at the other end of the hall.

"You just…look weird, is all," Botan admitted. When Asa didn't respond, she sighed, then looked up at their new surroundings, "We're here!"

Asa turned to look as Botan opened the door to Genkai's dining room, stepping back so that she could pass through first. Smiling at the deity as she did that, she glanced around, her smile fading fast when her eyes darted over a green-eyed redhead standing off to the right, watching as Yusuke and Kuwabara devoured their breakfast at the table. Genkai and Hiei were both there as well, eyeing the two in disgust. Yukina came in from the kitchen with another tray of food in her hands, then looked at Asa and Botan as they came in, distracting the others' attention as she said, "Well, _ohayo_, Botan and Asa! Are you two hungry?"

Botan nodded, but Asa shook her head, instead asking Yukina if she could take her to the kitchen so that she could make some tea. Yukina nodded, setting a plate of food in front of Botan, and led Asa into the kitchen. Asa was fully aware that two green eyes followed her every movement. Yukina showed her around the kitchen, then went to take some more food into Yusuke and Kuwabara as they called in unison, "YUKINA!"

"That's _got_ to get annoying," Asa commented, giving Yukina a sympathetic look.

The ice maiden shrugged, "As long as they're happy…I don't mind it, really."

Remembering her conversation with Hiei the day before, Asa smirked. "Hey, have you heard any news about your brother yet? You were looking for him, last I checked."

Yukina's gentle smile fell, and she looked away. "_Hai_, well…I have found out nothing. I'm beginning to fear that my brother is dead." Asa nodded, her expression both apologetic and remorseful for her friend.

"I doubt he is…I bet, somewhere, he's looking for you, too," she said gently, in the same tone of voice she used to comfort everyone. It made Yukina's smile light up, and she nodded in agreement, gratitude in her eyes. "You'd better get going, before Yusuke fires his Spirit Gun at us. I'll stay in here until the tea's done." Yukina nodded, carrying more food into the boys. Asa sighed, shaking her head, as she looked out the window above the sink. Glancing at the shadowy corner, she spoke again, "You know, it's rude to watch people and not let them know you're there, Hiei."

"Hn." Hiei stepped forward from the shadows, his arms crossed over his chest. "It's almost time to start."

Asa raised an eyebrow, "I'll take that as a 'thanks' for comforting your sister."

Hiei gave her a sharp glare, as if to say "you're the one who caused her _discomfort_," and she sighed, "Where're we going?" She turned to take the tea off as it started to whistle, and poured herself a cup, nursing it carefully as she turned again to eye him inquiringly.

"There's a training ground out back. We're going there so we can see if you have any fighting skills at all," Hiei smirked.

"Hn," she snorted, copying his characteristic phrase, "I _did_ do stuff while I was in Ireland, you know – like, fighting stuff. With Jin and Touya and Natsu and Kasu."

"I know…but that doesn't mean you've got any skill. Although, I must admit, it's good to see that I was right – you're still acting like yourself around everyone but the Fox," he spoke, ruby eyes glittering with vengeance.

"Look, Hiei, I don't pry for answers about _you_, don't pick on me for the ones about _me_," Asa snapped, furrowing her brow at him and realizing he'd read her mind. Hiei cocked an eyebrow in surprise at her defiance, but nodded after a length, muttering what sounded like an apology, but she couldn't be sure.

"Let's go," he said after she was finished with her tea. "They're waiting."

"I thought Kuwabara and Yusuke were _eating_?"

"No, Genkai kicked them out right after Yukina took them their food," Hiei informed her. "By the way, you'd better try your best – you're going to have an audience today."

"Thanks for the info, dude…" Asa mumbled, glancing around when they reached the back to see Botan, Genkai, Keiko, Yukina, Shizuru, Kasumi, Natsumi, Jin, and Touya all sitting on a balcony above the arena-looking piece of concrete in front of her. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama were waiting for them in the center of the arena.

"_Oi_, Asa-chan!" Yusuke greeted brightly. Asa smiled at him and Kuwabara, but frowned at Kurama, whose eyes narrowed in reply.

"So, what's up for today?" Asa asked, her uncharacteristic dark voice returning. Hiei and Yusuke both glanced at her, knowing that she wasn't really like this now, then at each other, smirking.

"Well, we drew straws to see who'd get to fight you – and Kurama's your opponent," Kuwabara supplied, looking rather happy about it. "Which is good, because I _still_ insist that I can't hit a girl…especially not _you_, Asa-chan."

"Thanks, Catty, means a lot," Asa rolled her eyes at the big softy, and turned to look at all those on the balcony. "Hey, everyone!" she called, waving at them with a smile.

"Hi, Asa!" they all answered in unison, Jin giving her a thumbs-up as he called out, "Good luck there, lass – ye'll need it to be fightin' the redheaded _kitsune_, you will!"

"_Arigato_, Jin-san!" There was a large rock in the pit of her stomach when she turned to look at her opponent, as the other three cleared the battlefield quickly. _Well, I can't just _not_ fight him…_ she thought to herself, suppressing a sigh.

"You'll probably want to take off your coat, Asa," Kurama said, glancing down at her coat. She realized that it _would_ make it difficult for her to move, and nodded in consent, thankful that she'd wrapped her wrists in the training tape earlier as she shrugged out of the offending article, skipping over to hand it to Yusuke, who was waiting at the side of the ring for it, and smiled at her reassuringly. She couldn't help but feel a bit naked as she returned to the center of the ring, reaching up to tighten her pony tail instinctively.

"Try to keep up, now, Asa-chan," Kurama told her.

Her eyes narrowed, and she was about to make a snappy comeback, but he disappeared. She blinked, then, stepping forward, felt an arm wrap around her waist from behind, and Kurama's hand covered her mouth. He really wasn't going to be easy on her, she realized then, as he whispered warningly, "You'll have to do better than _that_, Asa."

"Hmph!" She turned halfway, bringing her elbow back and landing it in his middle, making him jump back in surprise, releasing his hold on her. She turned and backed away, eyes narrowed angrily at him. "I'll do just fine without any advice, thank you."

He grunted in reply, and pulled a rose from his hair, causing Asa to cock an eyebrow. "How in the hell did you keep that there that whole time I thought you were just human and I _didn't_ notice?"

"I'm unaware… How did you become a priestess within a month of disappearing to Ireland, and why did you go?" he retorted, narrowing his eyes.

"As _if_ you _don't_ know," she shot back.

At the sidelines, everyone sweat dropped, imagining one hell of a lover's quarrel breaking out before their eyes – Genkai merely smirked. This was going to be interesting. Kurama rolled his eyes at her comeback, and turned the rose into his infamous Rose Whip. "I am not going to go easy on you just because you're Asa."

"I wouldn't have expected any less," she growled. He brought the handle of the whip to his shoulder, preparing to strike out, even though every one of them knew he wasn't actually going to try and hit her…everyone but Asa, of course. Rolling her eyes, she lifted her palms in front of her, much like she had the night before.

_I'm not sure how much energy I have left…hopefully it's enough_, she thought, eyes beginning to glow the bright color they had before. Needless to say, most of her audience members, the ones who weren't already aware of her power, were shocked as a large ball of energy formed above her palms, then spread outward, surrounding her and glowing white as a small wisp of what seemed like a ghost came out from the orb that shielded her body and moved forward, wrapping around Kurama's rose whip. The fox demon was the picture of surprise as his eyes widened, his rose whip stolen from his grasp, pulled by the small wisp of light to wrap around the orb that surrounded Asa.

Her bright eyes went wide, and the rose whip disappeared. "There, your weapon's gone," she finally spoke, her voice weak and sounding strained. "That means I win, right?"

"_Hai_," Hiei spoke for the surprised Kurama. Asa nodded, dropping her hands to her sides and dropping to her knees, her eyes closing, the white orb around her disappearing.

"Asa?" Kurama stepped toward her, but she held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm fine," she gasped. "Your whip-thingy's back there." She pointed behind him, up at the balcony. The balcony's occupants all looked to their right in surprise, to see Kurama's rose whip hanging wound up on one of the posts on the railing.

Impressed, Yusuke spoke up, "I guess that's it for today, Asa-chan. You'd better go get some rest… Well, _that_ came a little too late," he finished annoyedly, causing all eyes to return to Asa, who had fallen unconscious in the middle of the arena. Kurama was already at her side, turning her over and picking her up gently in his arms.

"She used too much energy," Genkai observed, jumping down to the boys' level, and meeting Kurama as he walked toward them. She laid a hand on Asa's forehead, and pulled away gently when she saw one of the tape pieces loose on her wrists. Furrowing her brow, she lifted Asa's wrist, and started unwinding the tape.

"What're you doing, hag?" Yusuke questioned, coming to her side to see for himself.

"Shut up, dimwit…Gauze," she said softly, when the tape was removed and revealed the gauze wrapping Asa's burns. She peeled back a piece of it gently, in turn revealing the raw burn mark there.

"_Kuso_, what the hell happened to her!" Yusuke demanded.

"Damn…I knew I should have woken one of you to go with her," Genkai mumbled to herself, "That _Akumu_ demon must have burned her last night."

"_Akumu_…wait… YOU LET HER GO OFF AFTER A DEMON BY HERSELF!" Yusuke demanded, "Grandma, are you _crazy_! She could have been _killed_!"

"You wanted me to see what I thought of her power. I did," Genkai replied, narrowing her eyes at him. "She's very powerful indeed, but she cannot unlock her full power for much of the same reason you couldn't, dimwit – she needs to focus all her energy and emotion on something, but she doesn't have something yet."

"Oh, okay. Well, someone's gonna have to yell at her when she wakes up for not telling us she was injured," Yusuke said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, no need to worry about that – I can handle it," Kurama muttered in a voice that could have been depicted as a growl as he glared down at Asa's peaceful face. Yusuke almost winced at his face as he carried Asa inside the temple to take her to her room, and glanced at Genkai.

"Great job, Grandma, now you've got Kurama pissed," he said snidely.

And so the game begins. Oh, and, you know, _Akumu_ demons are evil jerk-offs. _Akumu_ means 'nightmare;' so I looked up some info on random nightmare demons, and they usually take your worst fear and use it against you. Yup. Like, if you're afraid of snakes, they, I dunno, make you feel like you're in a pit of snakes or something? Anywho. We have reviews again! I'm so happy (cries).

Yusuke- Then why're you crying!

Because I _can_! (sniffle sniffle) Leave me alone and just do the review responses! (hides to cry of happiness some more.)

Yusuke- Okay then… Lala, howdy again! You reviewed for the Meka-goes-crazy chap! Go you! Wow, you're smarter than ME! I didn't even realize there was a puzzle to begin with! (adds on poster, "Of course that's because I hate Meka and this story and they can both go to hell.")

I SAW THAT YOU JERK!

Yusuke- …Oops.

Kurama- Mel-chan, you're not to blame! No need to apologize! We forgive you anyway! And I wouldn't EVER have one of the death plants devour you! (smile)

Touya and Hiei- Hi Sun Priestess! We're reviewing together, as in, in unison, thanks to a really wild Meka-experiment which I (being me, Hiei) have to kill her for later. That full-fledged priestess thing, it's coming up. But don't think our stubborn little Asa and our almost-as-stubborn little Fox-boy will be so glad about that! (wink)

Kuwabara- COOKIES! (has stolen cookies from Meka) Okay, peeps. Here's your hint for the next chapter – Ai will be making an appearance, after a little one-on-one between Foxy and Little Priestess.


	18. Chapter Seventeen The One

Chapter Seventeen- The One

_Now where did he go?_ She looked about, putting her hands on her hips and scowling. _I know I left him right here…_ She sighed in annoyance, palming her forehead. _He acts just like a pup sometimes…_

Asa knew this feeling. She wasn't herself, for the second time. She was someone else… "Ai," a voice said from behind her, making her smirk and turn – to meet a golden-eyed gaze. "You were looking for me?"

_Youko…_ She was Ai, and she was staring at Kurama's demon form. Wow. He seemed to know her, too. Just like the last time, she heard an older voice speak of its own accord from her throat. "Yes, Youko. Where were you? I thought I'd lost you again."

"I didn't go far." He offered her a smirk, glancing her over. She followed his gaze, noticing the rather strange kimono she wore, and he spoke again, "I like your new outfit. Not very priestess-like, though."

"I know. But I needed something to wear to meet Rika. She should be coming here soon."

"I don't like the woman," Youko growled lowly. "She just uses you for your power…she wants you to be something you're not. Your mother's name was not Mitsukai, you aren't the One."

Mitsukai? That was _Asa's_ mother's name. Ai smiled for her softly, and spoke, "Rika is sure that I am the One, at least, she is sure that my soul is also Hers. She is only doing what she thinks is right – she is only trying to save the world from the Shadow." His ears lay back and he tensed visibly. She reached up, cupping his cheek in her hand. "You know what the Shadow is, as well, don't you?"

"I've heard of it, yes." Youko's voice was edgy.

"Then you know why I must do this. I must see. Rika knows it. _You_ know it, love."

Love? _Hey, lady, I don't know who you are or why I'm in your body, but you're gonna have to stop it with the "love" stuff. This one's mine._ Asa would have blushed, had she been in her own body. Did she seriously just refer to the fox as _hers_? Um…oops? Youko opened his mouth to speak again, but Asa drifted away, toward a different, darker place…

And the pain was unbearable. She groaned, feeling every muscle in her body plummet back into her possession, and tested her eyes – ouch, that hurt! – but they still worked. She opened them, and could see a fuzzy image above her face – one that slowly cleared and revealed two green reflections of her face.

"Asa? _Daijobu_?" he asked, furrowing his brow in concern.

"_Aa_, I'm fine, Kurama. Could you, like, move away or something? I'm having a hard enough time seeing things as it is," she said, weakly lifting her hand to his shoulder and trying in vain to push him out of her line of sight. He took her hand in his, however, removing it easily from his shoulder.

"Asa, we need to talk." His tone was brusque, and scathing, and she already knew what it was he was going to say, to her own surprise.

"I know, I know. I went after an _Akumu_ by myself. I'm in trouble. Right?" She took the _paraphrased_ version of the words right out of his mouth, and he had to blink for a moment to catch himself.

"Uh…right." The stern expression returned. "Asa, you shouldn't have done such a thing. You could have been seriously injured. And it was an _Akumu_. Did you kill it?" He paused, waiting for her to answer, and after a moment, she feebly nodded. "Then you were cursed, weren't you?" Another meek nod. "Oh, Asa-chan. Do you know what that means? For the rest of your life, your dreams will be wrought with fear. You should have let _us_ handle it."

"It wouldn't have made a difference anyway," she responded wearily. "It's not like nightmares are anything new for me, I used to have them all the time. I told you that. And besides, it's not my _entire_ life. Just until I can face my fear." He eyed her curiously, leaning back and folding his hands thoughtfully beneath his chin.

"Still," he spoke then, "I would have rather had you safe, and unharmed. Do you know how much you worried us all?"

"I've got a pretty good idea…" She tried to sit up, but he kept a hand to her shoulder, pressing her gently back down.

"Better not move yet. Genkai took a look at your injuries, and she used her power to see about healing them. Lying still seems to help the process, so we've all learned." He was being hypocritical, and he knew it. Here he was, annoyed with _her_ for endangering herself, when for as long as he'd known her he'd been in numerous dangers that she'd probably been completely unaware of until she'd seen that tape. And he wasn't surprised by the annoyance in the expression she wore then, was in fact expecting it. "And were you seriously considering not telling us about your encounter with the _Akumu_?"

"Yes, I seriously, seriously was. Do you see how you're reacting _now_?" she asked, giving him a glare. "How would you have reacted _then_?"

He had to give her kudos for that. They would have all been furious if she hadn't been unconscious and exhausted when they found out about the _Akumu_. His real worry now had to lie with her fears. Silently, he wondered just what it was that she would be "facing" to break the _Akumu's_ last curse. He avoided that topic presently, but didn't hit a mark far off with his next question. "You were having night terrors last night, weren't you?"

She averted her gaze quickly, mumbling, "Well, it's a part of that curse thing. You didn't seem to be sleeping so well yourself." At his askance expression, she explained, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, "I heard you muttering in your sleep when I left. So you were lying to me when you said that those dreams had gone away…"

"I wasn't. I thought that they had. I figured out…the meaning behind them."

"And was she a memory of Youko?" Surprised, he looked up at her. "It sounded like a name that you spoke." She was really trying to see if his dreams were about the same priestess as hers had been of late.

"Yes… She was a priestess he loved by the name of Ai," he explained, furrowing his brow at her unsurprised look of recognition toward the name. "Do you know of her?"

"She was the High Priestess of the Order of the Fox, wasn't she?" she asked. He nodded once. "Yes. I know of her. I had a dream about her…Natsumi, Kasumi, Jin, and Touya told me the little bit they knew about her – that she lived in Makai and died around fifteen or sixteen years ago."

"A year before Youko did," he told her with another nod. "Yes, I remembered that."

"So, who is she exactly? I…had a dream that there was a High Priestess, Rika, who was coming to see her…thought she was someone important. The One. Whatever that means."

"The One?" he repeated, furrowing his brow. "I don't have any memories about that…"

_That damn Rika. I never liked her. -_

"…But apparently Youko does," he added, when he heard the angry growl in his mind. "He doesn't seem too fond of Rika."

"No, I didn't take it that way, either. You can speak to him?" He nodded. "Can you ask him about Mitsukai?" He gave her a puzzled look then, remembering something from Koenma's story about 'Mitsukai.' "Just humor me, okay?"

_Youko, did you hear Asa? Do you know anything about Mitsukai? Wasn't she the supposed mother of the priestess who would bear the Light?_

_- She was, and is. Ai was not her daughter, and although Ai's soul _was_ shared with the One, Rika was incorrect in thinking that Ai was that priestess. Ai was powerful – but she wouldn't have been able to survive the Light. She didn't even survive her own powers, brought to their full extent… - _ His voice had turned sad, and Kurama's expression matched the somber mood that stole over them both then.

"He remembers something?" Asa asked, reaching for his hand instinctively to wipe the grave look from his face. He glanced down at her hand as it laced with his, then gave her a strange look. She tinged slightly, but kept gazing at him expectantly anyway. She couldn't stop compassion, and no matter how hard she worked to conceal any other emotions, she would _not_ let him wear that expression.

"He says Rika had assumed that Ai was Mitsukai's daughter – we had heard a legend from Koenma about this daughter earlier, and she is supposedly a priestess who, with a power called the Light, could save the world from the Shadow. But Youko says that Ai only shared a soul with the true One, not her power or her mother." The look of pure shock, and fear, on Asa's face then couldn't be matched by any other, except the fearful look she might have given him if he was on the brink of death. "Asa? Is something wrong?" he asked, returning the pressure of their clasped hands.

"Kurama…my…my mother's name was Mitsukai."

-

Kurama emerged from his steady vigil in Asa's room sometime later, looking quite troubled. Hiei noticed him first, but Yusuke was the one who addressed him. "_Daijobu_, Kurama?"

"_Hai_. But…no, too." He looked up at them, his expression unquiet and thoughtful. "Asa's mother's name is Mitsukai."

Everyone gave him a shocked expression, except for Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were too dense to recognize the name. "So? Why're you worried about her mom? How's _she_?"

"If you remember, dimwit, Koenma just told you a story about the daughter of Mitsukai. How she's the wielder of the Light – that power that can save the world?" Yusuke's expression turned slowly into one of understanding, and his widened eyes turned back to the red-haired fox standing in the doorway. "But that could just be a coincidence, Kurama."

"But she told me she's been having dreams about the last priestess whom was thought to be this One. _Her_ name was Ai. The High Priestess of the Order of the Fox."

"I remember her," Genkai nodded. "She'd actually been a student of Rika, the High Priestess, who was a close friend of mine. But Ai died some time ago."

"Yes, she was destroyed by her own power," Kasumi added, looking from the psychic to her sister. "But she was one of the most powerful priestesses in all the Order, and there were rumors that she shared the One's spirit."

"There is another legend that says once a full-fledged priestess, the One could be consumed by her own power, just as Ai was. That was why it was assumed by many that she _had_ been the One, but the demon she'd destroyed wasn't the Shadow."

"No. He was also an _Akumu_ by the name of Goshi, but he wasn't strong enough to be any Shadow." He was aware that they were all gazing at him questioningly, as if to ask where he'd learned of this information. He would usually have been at least graceful enough to blush – right now, he was petrified for Asa. "Ai was the priestess Youko fell for before he died," he explained. Brows shot to hairlines, all but Hiei's, but no one questioned him. "It occurred to me a few times before, when we first found out about Asa's being a priestess, that she and Ai had far too many similarities for it to be coincidence. I think Asa might be Ai reincarnated, but only partially in soul, which would be what everyone meant by Ai's _sharing her soul_. But I hadn't really truly thought about it until just now. We're going to have to speak with Koenma about this."

"Sure, Kurama, whatever you want," Yusuke nodded. "We'll go now. You can stay with her, if you want." They all knew that was what he wanted. He offered a nod and a small smile, but then turned to return to Asa. "Hey, she _is_ alright, though, right?"

"She'll be fine. You know she's far too stubborn to let an _Akumu_ defeat her," he glanced at them over his shoulder one last time before hurrying back to her. They were silent a moment, before Kuwabara spoke.

"So, um…she could be in danger, right?"

"_Aa_. That girl's getting a knack for it," Touya agreed. "Just like you lot, it seems." They all chuckled halfheartedly at the joke. This new revelation meant two things for them: one, if Asa _was_ the One, she'd be in grave danger of her own power, and two, if that be the case, they'd have to train her even faster. Sakai was the Shadow, Asa was the Light. They didn't know what her ultimate power was, but the thought that it could destroy her was frightening, and the knowledge that she may have to _make_ that sacrifice, for them, for the world, was unbearable.

-

Asa had fallen asleep again under his careful eye, and he sat beside her, watching her fitful expression and wishing he could do more for her. The others had gone to see Koenma immediately after he'd come back to her room to watch over her. Now, he'd solve another great piece to the puzzle that had become Asa. But he was still uncertain about why she'd been so closed-up to him since her return. She had been so extremely careful to avoid showing emotion of any sort, it was baffling.

Sweat appeared on her brow, and he took the cool cloth that he'd collected earlier and dabbed at her face gently, careful not to disturb her too much. His expression was thoughtful when he sat back, eyes always on her, as well as thoughts. _Priestess training requires mind, body, and soul to be in perfect harmony._ He knew that much, but it didn't help him piece together the final parts of his puzzle. Did it?

_- To have perfect harmony of the mind, the body, and the soul, one must suppress any constraints to others, to be within oneself. -_

_So she…_has_ to cut herself off from others – from _me

_- Maybe you're not so dense after all, Shuuichi. -_

Kurama glared at the air between himself and Asa, not bothering to even comment on Youko's "compliment." She had to cut herself off…from him. That meant she still had some emotional connections with him.

He barely restrained himself from grinning like a fool, merely because of the fact that those emotions connected with him might very well be anger and remorse. But then again, they might be something more, he decided, remembering the past few days and her more surprising actions toward him, the blush that would paint her cheeks when he was near or said something nice, the way she'd paled when they had their first real conversation after she'd returned.

Asa was strong. She could get through her training well enough without showing those emotions. He knew that, and he also knew that she was by far stronger than he was, that she would prevail over her power. She wouldn't let the Light take her as Ai had.

In that moment, Kurama loved her more than he had ever allowed himself to admit, if it were possible.

There. Some cuteness for you. And some not-so-greatness, too. Okay, so now we know about a buncha stuff concerning Asa and Ai. Yay, right? Right? Okay, reviews!

Hiei- Chardene, is it? Meka says you can claim me. Thank you for the review (and for ruining my life. Do you know how embarrassing this is going to be? You'd better be cute o.O)

In other words, Chardene, he likes you. (wink)

Yusuke- Hiya, Sazuka-chan. Yeah, I have to agree with you. Mama-Boy IS being slightly OOC. What's up with that, Meka?

(ahem) Yes, I concede – I've been changing our boy slightly. But it's with purpose, I promise! He's always so calculative and so KNOWING, but he's never really known all there is to know about Asa. She's his "puzzle," so I have to alter him ever-so-much to make him…well, Asa's lover boy. (biiiig wink) Um…so. Yeah. (shrug) But thanks for the reviews, as usual!

Kurama- Hello, Mel-chan! Don't worry…the "game" won't last too much longer. Meka has informed us of a certain…thing. (raises eyebrow) And, this last chapter wasn't all that "gamey," as she puts it.

Hey, stop that!

Kurama- Stop what, dear child?

…THAT!

Kurama- (weird look)

…Damn Giles. I'm never letting you guys watch Buffy again. It alters your mindsets.

Kuwabara- …Wha?


	19. Chapter Eighteen FullFledged

Chapter Eighteen- Full-Fledged

(A/K FLUFF WARNING!)

Asa trained as hard as she possibly knew how during the next week or so. Koenma had been visiting with her more often, too, and had decided that yes, what Kurama had feared was correct – she was _definitely_ Ai's reincarnation. He had had Ayame (that's the name of the creepily dark lady of his, right?) look into Ai's life – not that there was much need for it, with Youko around, but the fox couldn't remember _everything_ about his lover's life. It came with the whole reincarnation deal.

Today, Asa was to be working on her powers, expanding them, with Genkai. Even with these sort of sessions, where he wasn't needed, Kurama had remained by her side, watching all that happened closely, through calculative eyes. She had improved greatly in the short time she'd been with them, and even Yusuke had to admit she was tougher than any one of them, even him, and would give each of them a good fight, were she able to. She hadn't had too much energy for free time, after her training sessions, and Genkai and Kurama both knew the reason, as well as Hiei – she was getting even less sleep than the first night after the _Akumu_. She could barely muster the strength to _eat_ anymore, let alone talk with any of her friends, between her physical and mental exhaustion.

So he watched her struggle with her powers while Genkai explained them to her. Twice, only twice, she stumbled, losing her grip on the ball of bright light that formed in her palms, but he was there instantly, supporting her with a hand firmly but gently resting on her back. She offered him a weak but grateful smile both times, but became more stern, and concentrated _twice_ as hard to keep her focus.

By dusk, she could fully manipulate any of the six elements she produced in her palm, and she could heal any wound, major or minor. She practiced on wounded birds that Yukina had found and tended to until now. The very happy ice maiden took the birds with her, thanking Asa genuinely, and Genkai congratulated the girl.

"You've done well, Asa-chan. Time to get some rest." Asa nodded, barely restraining herself from yawning, and shuffled out of the training room, Kurama at her heels. "Kurama, may I have a word?"

He paused, glancing after Asa with concern, but nodded. "Of course." She waited until Asa left the room before speaking again.

"She's ready. Tomorrow, we'll be finished with her training, and she'll be a full-fledged priestess."

"I had figured that she was close. But why are you telling me this?"

"Tomorrow's going to be very difficult. She's going to need all the rest she can get. Be sure that she _does_ get it." He cocked an eyebrow at that, but nodded, and hurried after Asa, who was passing the dining room without another thought.

"Asa-chan, don't you think you should _try_ to eat something before you go to bed?" he urged, laying a hand on her arm and giving her a small smile.

"I don't think I could lift a _cheeseburger_, Kurama. And trust me, I'm like, dying for one."

He chuckled at her softly, and steered her into the dining room and then to the kitchen. "How does ramen sound?" he asked, guiding her into a chair at the table. She made a disgusted face, and he rolled his eyes. "Fine, then, chicken and rice?"

"Sure," she answered wearily, letting her head drop onto her crossed arms. "I must've gotten used to Irish food, I kinda miss Nanna's cooking."

"That…seems plausible. You _are_ part-Irish. But I never _will_ know how you manage to hold that food down."

"You just don't like it because it's got a bitter taste," she told him, raising her head enough so that she could watch him cooking the rice and chicken.

"Frankly, yes, it is too pungent for me. But, since you like it, maybe after all this is over, I'll take you to that Irish restaurant you like."

He looked up at her and smiled – she blushed and looked away, but he plainly heard her small utterance, "I'd like that…a lot."

"Alright, here…" Kurama said some time later, setting a plate before her. She raised her head and stared at it for a moment, and he frowned. "It isn't poisoned, Asa-chan."

"I know that. I keep trying to tell my limbs to move, but they won't," she explained, staring longingly at the food. He chuckled at her again, and took the chopsticks, picking up a piece of the chicken with ease and pressing it to her lips, ignoring the glare of death she gave him.

"If it is easier for you this way, you may as well cooperate, Asa-chan." Pursing her lips for a moment, she met his gaze thoughtfully. Then, when he prompted her to eat again by pressing the food to her lips, she parted them, letting him feed her, but he could almost _hear_ her silent vow of vengeance. Once she was finished, he cleaned up, although she protested to that, as well, and, to her even greater chagrin, came back to her side, slipping an arm under her knees and the other around her lower back.

"Kurama, no!"

"Again, you may as well cooperate, Asa-chan," he told her, offering her a stubborn smile. "You said yourself, your limbs weren't obeying." His smile grew amused as her expression grew annoyed – she'd set herself up for this. So, begrudgingly, she nodded, and relaxed into his grasp, though he could see her blush fiercely.

-

(Out in the hall…)

As Kurama carried Asa out of the kitchen to her room, through the small crack in the door, they had a small audience. Yusuke, Keiko, Botan, Shizuru, and even Kuwabara were there, piled one on top of the other, eyes _just_ not visible to the fox and priestess. They scrambled off when the two approached the door, and were hiding behind the corner watching when Kurama carried her out around to the other side of the temple.

"Well…that was, in a word, adorable," Yusuke said.

"…Did you just say "adorable?"" Kuwabara asked.

"_…Aa_, so?"

"I agree with _him_. That _was_ adorable," Botan agreed.

"Yeah, so how do we go about making those two an actual couple?" Shizuru asked.

"We'll figure something out," Keiko ended the conversation. "Let's go, before we get caught."

-

"Here we are," Kurama said, gently laying Asa down in her bed, then waiting until she kicked her shoes off to pull the blanket up over her and settle her back against the pillows. "Now, you have to try and get some rest. Is…there _anything_ I can do…?"

"No. They're only nightmares." He nodded, looking a little crestfallen, and brought her hand, still in his, up to his lips, before turning to go. "Wait!" Freezing, he glanced back at her. She looked vulnerable – and scared. "…Could you…stay? It might not be so bad then…"

_What are you doing, Asa? You can't do that, you're not supposed to show any emotional connection!_ She scolded herself. But then, she really couldn't stand much more of these nightmares – and of being so cruel to him. So she watched him hopefully, and after a moment, he asked, "Are you sure you want me to stay?"

"_Hai_." She had answered before she could even think about it. He nodded, and returned to her side, kneeling down beside of her. Again, she spoke without thinking about it, more tremulously, "Could you…?"

He knew already what she wanted, and nodded, gently lifting her and the blanket and sliding underneath of her, holding her in his lap. She smiled and snuggled into his chest, quietly whispering a thank you to him as his arms settled around her, pulling the blanket up over them both. He rested his lips against the crown of her head, waiting for her breathing to grow slow and even. It didn't take long, and he knew the moment she fell asleep. With a sigh, he pulled back to watch her while she slept. The nightmares would probably begin soon, and he would have to wake her if they did, or at least try to calm her down.

At first, her expression was peaceful, serene, even. But, after a moment, it turned sad, and mournful, and he saw tears form at the corners of her eyes. Then, to his surprise, she muttered, "Oh, god, I'm so sorry, Kurama…"

_Sorry? For what?_ He thought, brow furrowing. The tears flowed down her cheeks freely then, and she cried for her mother. Unsure of what else to do, he hugged her closer, stroking her face with the back of his hand and wiping away her tears. "Shh, it's alright, Asa… I'm here…" he whispered to her, and it seemed to calm her down enough so that she could rest, at least for a little while. (a/n: You seeeee, this is why Genkai's the psychic!)

He stayed and watched her for the rest of the night, cooing to her when the nightmares became too much, dozing off when she seemed at peace, just holding her, and it was dawn before she woke again, sighing into the nape of his neck, where she'd somehow settled during the night. The warmth of her breath woke him from his dozing slight dreams, and they looked at each other with small smiles.

"Good morning, Asa-chan. I hope you slept well."

"Apparently so…" She eased out of his lap, and blushed. "You stayed the whole time?"

"Apparently so," he mimicked her last answer, with a smirk. They kept staring at the other, before he made his next comment, in his completely calm voice that drove a shudder down her spine. "You'd better get ready. They'll be waiting for us."

She nodded, strands of hair falling over her shoulders, only somewhat hiding her steadily worsening blush. He stood, stretching his limbs, and walked casually out her door, across the hall to his room. She watched him go, but swore that when he closed her door he gave her one last grin.

Waiting until she heard his door slide closed, she muttered, "…That was _way_ too casual… I hope I didn't…_talk_ or anything in my sleep…" Shaking her head, she hurried to get ready to meet the others for her last day of training.

-

She was wringing her hands with concern over how casually he'd walked her to the training room by the time they reached it. She must have had said something she shouldn't have – she _must have_! Why else would he be acting this way? It was…_way_ too normal.

_Oh, God…what if I told him I loved him in my sleep? Or…worse, what if I told him anything about why I _can't_ tell him I love him? …This is just getting way too confusing…_

She was so worried about it that she didn't even notice she was being talked to – kept staring at her hands and wringing them thoroughly.

"_Asa_!"

"Huh?" She looked up at Kuwabara, who'd been talking to her for some time. "Um…sorry, Catty. What were you saying?" Now blushing heavily, she plastered her arms to her sides and listened to him as he told her that for today, she'd be working with them all – trying to use her powers in several different directions. "Okay, that's fine. What exactly should I consider that as?"

"A sort-of hide-and-go-seek game, I guess," Yusuke said.

"…Right. Okay, so let's get this over with." The Spirit Detective smirked at her, and nodded.

"Alright, if you wanna. Give us a five minute head start, and then try to find us anywhere on the temple grounds."

"Okay," she nodded curtly, staring at her hands and wondering just how she would use her powers this day. The five of them, plus Jin, Kasumi, Touya, and Natsumi, who had decided to join in the "training party," all hurried off while she seemed the slightest bit distracted, but it was Kurama who paused a moment, walking up to her. She blushed, already knowing that it was him before she even looked up, and glanced up to meet his eyes. "Yes?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes a few times to distract him from seeing her reddening face.

"Good luck, Asa-chan," he muttered, before backing away and giving her an _oh my God_ adorable wink, then turning and running off in a random direction. She stared after him, her jaw hanging loose at how damned adorable he had just been, then clamped her teeth together, determined not to let him distract her. But _crap_, he was awfully distracting today. (a/n: Yes, I'm doing this on purpose. You'll see.)

Shaking her head clear, she focused on her watch, watching for the five-minute mark that Yusuke had indicated. She chewed on her lower lip, trying to remember all she'd learned up to this point, about how to locate the lost and use her powers to make sure she could find them. Then, inhaling deeply once the second hand hit her mark, she glanced up and around, then held her hands out in front of her, palms up. _Dei deaeque, luminae, et umbrae, domonstras viam meae._ (Gods and goddesses of light, and of dark, show me the way.)

A light formed in the center of each of her palms, and slowly grew outward, until they both formed a small orb of light in the cup of her hands. The orb threw out several multicolored rays that traveled over its crystalline surface, then froze, shooting out through the walls and trees and plants of the Labyrinth's gardens. She smirked, realizing what this was. Each of the colored rays represented one of her friends – there was blue, that must have been Yusuke; black, obviously Hiei; orange, she was pretty sure that was Kuwabara; pink and purple, the twins; gray, she thought that might be Touya; a gold-yellow, probably for Jin; and a deep, emerald green, mixed with rose red. That was Kurama, no doubt.

The rays stayed, even as Asa released the orb, and it hung midair. With a grin, she waved her right palm around, passing it through each of the rays. "Referas meae amicae." (Bring back my friends.)

She could envision the ends of the rays curling about each of her friends, and pulling them back to her. She almost smirked when the twins appeared, both looking quite flabbergasted as the rays of purple and pink light dropped them to the ground before her. "Hehe, didn't think I could do _that_, did you?" she asked. The twins both stood, as Kuwabara was dragged back.

"That was kinda cool, Asa," he said, landing on his backside as he was released by the ray of light, which contracted back into Asa's orb.

"Yeah, I know," she replied cockily. Touya and Jin were brought back next, chased quickly by Hiei, then finally Yusuke.

Asa frowned, however, when, after they were all back in the clearing, Kurama's ray of light hadn't brought him back. Her eyes darkened. "_Referas mea amica_…" she repeated in an urgent whisper. (That's just "my friend.") She held her breath for a moment, but the light failed her still.

"_Referas mea amica…!_" Her whisper grew into a strained cry, but the green and red ray contracted back into the orb, which blew into tiny particles of nebula. There was no Kurama to be seen.

The sky darkened then, so quickly that the entire group looked upward. A huge black cloud passed overhead, blotting out the sun and turning the blue to a sickly gray. "Damn," Yusuke muttered. "Looks like Sakai made it into Kamekai."

"But what happened to Kurama?" Touya asked worriedly, turning his gaze to Asa, whose expressive eyes were wide and tremulous.

"I must have…I must have opened up a portal somehow," she muttered, cursing herself. She'd allowed herself to become distracted by him, and in so doing, put him into danger. Her power had rushed him into the Divine World, the moment Sakai had reached it.

"What do you mean, you opened up a portal?" Kuwabara asked, furrowing his brow.

"Hold tight, guys!" she exclaimed, looking toward where her orb had exploded, seeing the portal she'd opened up that sucked up Kurama appear where his ray of light had been, moving toward them. "We're going for a ride!"

"Hey, Asa, you know what this means, right?" Yusuke asked, glancing at her. "If not, you may want to take a look at yourself." She did as she was told, and her eyes widened. A white aura flowed about her, pulsing with the power that had emerged from her.

"Um…does this mean I'm a priestess now?" she asked tremulously, looking up at her friends.

"Yes, it does," Kasumi answered her, with a gentle smile. "And now that you _are_ a priestess, it looks like we're going to the Divine World."

"Right. Here we come, Sakai!" Asa gave her friends a wide smirk, and they returned it. "I hope Kurama made it through alright…" she added in a whisper, hoping, _praying_ that he would be okay when they made it across the Interverse to him. She took and held a deep breath, as the portal reached and engulfed them. A coarse wind surrounded them, whipping about and throwing the girls' hair across their faces, while it made even Hiei's aerodynamic hair look fluffier, and all they could hear was its sharp whistle, then they were gone from Genkai's gardens.

The portal disappeared with them, leaving only the newly-dark skies and an oncoming storm. "It got quiet, Master Genkai," Yukina muttered, standing behind the old psychic on a balcony, where the girls had gathered, upon Genkai's request.

"The calm before the storm, I'm afraid," the psychic responded, turning to the girls. "Tea?"

-

Man, I feel so accomplished. A/K fluff AND a full-fledged priestess, PLUS a portal to Kamekai, all in one chapter! Speaking of which, I'm thinking there'll only be about two or three more chapters to this, because I wanna hurry and get to the sequel (yes, there has been a sequel in "Meka's Lab" – that's what I call my writing place, where works get done – for quite some time. I think you'll all enjoy it.) (GRIN)

Kurama- Oh, it is no problem for me to respond to your reviews, Mel-chan! No, you're not an ingrate. And that's okay, good luck with your soft ball! (thumbs-up) We'll have the story waiting for you.

By the way (shoves Kurama out of the way) your email addresses didn't full turn up. (confuzzled look) I'm so confuzzled.

Yusuke- Don't you mean "confuddled?"

No. I MEAN confuzzled.

Yusuke- …Riiight. Whatever.

Touya- I BEEN CLAIMED BY MULTIPLE FANGIRLS! AHH!

…Yeah. So-kun now, is it? That's cute. Anyways. I had to make a twin machine, so that everybody gets Touya. Because everybody loves Touya. So here's YOUR Touya. (hands him over) Thanks for the reviews, as usual! (grin)

Hiei- …Don't I get to respond to anybody?

…Dude, that sounded SO wrong. But no, nobody else reviewed this time. They've GOT lives, unlike us.

Hiei- …Hn. Well, fine, I'll just tell them how you're going to have Sakai and Kurama square off and Asa step in next chapter

(dives to cover his mouth) DAMN YOU, HIEI!

Kuwabara- I agree. Damn you. (sticks out his tongue then hides behind the disclaimer sign)

(chaos ensuing)


	20. Chapter Nineteen Welcome to Kamekai

Chapter Nineteen- Welcome to Kamekai

The portal dropped the group into a strange place, full of gray and white light. Asa looked around, being the first one to land – or rather, pause in the middle of nowhere, hanging in a place that didn't seem to have gravity. She realized where they were without quite knowing how. When the others landed – err – _paused_ around her, she told them, "We're going to be passing through the Interverse in a few minutes – that'll be about an hour or so in our world's time, and maybe half a day in Kamekai. The time flows differently there than in our world."

"You know that, how?" Yusuke asked, cocking an eyebrow at her as he glanced about, his voice echoing through the abyss in which they were hanging.

"I'm not sure…but I _do_ know it won't take long for us to get out of here – look down." They did, and below them, some distance below, there was a dark, swirling thing, black and dark gray, like a sea of clouds. "Sakai started out _there_. As his soul was cleansed, he steadily rose to our level – it's kinda like a purgatory of some sort, only…not."

She was aware that at least Yusuke and Kuwabara were now staring at her like she'd grown a second head, but for some reason, she _did_ know that what she'd said was true. It must be this new full-fledged priestess thing, she decided, feeling her body steadily rise up, and knowing that the others were following her…all but Kasumi and Natsumi.

"Kasu-chan!" Jin called to the younger of the twins, catching Asa's attention. The twins both gave her a questioning look, and her eyes flicked to and fro before she realized why they were being delayed.

"You both were raised in Sakai's home, weren't you?" she asked gently, giving them a thoughtful look as they started to slowly rise after the others.

"Yes, but what's that got to do…" Natsumi's voice trailed off, as she realized what Asa meant.

"You'll get there later than we do. Jin, Touya, the two of you are gonna have to wait for them when we get there. It'll take them another few hours in Kamekai time to get there."

The two friends glanced at each other, then back at her, both nodding. They rose another few feet, the twins only a few inches. "Sakai must've been here for a few days Interverse time. I wonder exactly how he was purified, when the cherubim – " as she said this, she glanced about her warily, " – knew what he was planning?"

"Maybe they're really stupid cherubim," Yusuke suggested humorously. Asa gave him a look. "What?"

"Now is like, _so_ not the time for cracking jokes," she told him exasperatedly, shaking her head. "In the time that _we_ were waiting for my orb to collect fox-boy, _he_ passed through the Interverse. You know what that means, right?"

"He's…in Kamekai?" It was Jin who spoke this time.

"_And_ near Sakai. And last I checked, that asshole did a biiig number on the whole _lot_ of you, remember?"

"And Kurama is really impatient with him," Hiei added.

"So he'll go after him, and that's why you're worried," Touya finished.

"Well, yeah." She crossed her arms over her chest, resting one fist under her chin thoughtfully, her friends exchanging an amused look.

_She's really starting to act like him…_

The thought was in unison, and they could all almost hear the others thinking it, too. It was true, the potential pair _had_ gained a lot of the other's attributes. It was quite "adorable," as Yusuke had earlier quoted.

"Alright, guys, let's turn to our fearless leader and see if he can make up a plan," she finally announced, turning to Yusuke.

"Well, that was kinda dumb, Asa-chan. You know how stupid he is – …"

"Nobody asked for your opinion, Kuwabara," Yusuke snapped, looking about ready to break his friend's neck. If their souls weren't being cleansed at current moment, Asa was almost sure he _would_ have. After a moment, he said, "Well, once we drop down into Kamekai, I'm sure the first two priorities are finding the gods, and finding Sakai. We need to make sure that the gods are okay, but it'd be nice to know where the shithead is, too."

"We also need to find Kurama," Kuwabara added.

"I'm pretty sure we'll find _him_ once we find Sakai," Hiei intervened, turning back to Yusuke. "Are we splitting up, then?"

"Looks that way. So once we get to Kamekai, while you two," he nodded toward Jin and Touya, "wait for the girls, Asa and the idiot will go to look for the gods, and Hiei and I'll go after Sakai. You guys'll join us once Kasu and Natsu get here," he added to Jin and Touya.

"You're forgetting one thing, though, Yusuke," Asa said. "Remember, the Light and the Shadow? The prophecy? _I_ should go after Sakai with one of you."

"That's true, but we're not risking it just yet. We have to form a better plan before we put _you_ and Sakai together." The concern in Yusuke's voice was touching, but also rather annoying.

Asa sighed, "Alright… Catty and I'll go after the gods and crap, then."

"We'll find him," Yusuke assured her with a smirk. She gave him a small smile in reply, but was already formulating a plan to reverse this little situation. Not that _they_ needed to know that, of course…

The white light grew brighter around the six of them, and Kasumi and Natsumi had to cover their eyes. Realizing what was happening, Jin called to them, "We'll see you girls in a few hours…" His voice died away, and they disappeared. The twins exchanged a look.

"You _know_ she's not going to let them – "

" – Go after Sakai and find Kurama," Kasumi finished for her sister, with a nod. "Yes, I know."

-

As soon as she could open her eyes, Asa let them focus on what could have been the most beautiful sight she was sure to ever see in her lifetime – scenery wise, of course. Rolling hills were the perfect shade of green, the bright blue sky was cloudless, the sun shone…but dimly. Every tree seemed to be wilting; every green hill seemed covered in a dismal shadow. So, this was Kamekai, affected by Sakai's presence. She realized that the others were looking at her expectantly, and turned to them. "So, I guess _I_ have to find the direction we're going?"

"Yeah, see if you can find Sakai, then the gods and goddesses," Yusuke told her, with a half-smirk of assurance. "Just don't send anyone back to _our_ world, alright, kid?"

"Sure. I can handle that." She furrowed her brow and closed her eyes, concentrating on the darker energy that she knew was Sakai, and the power that was generating strongly from the east came from the gods, she was also sure. Surely enough, as soon as she reconstructed the orb of light that they were growing used to, two rays stretched out far – a dark one, and a light one. Asa held back her smirk, and looked up at the others innocently, trying her hardest to block her mind off from being connected to Hiei's like Kurama had taught her to in the last week. "Well, you guys see your ray. Go get Sakai," she said, trying hard to sound crestfallen.

Apparently, it worked. Yusuke and Hiei went after the dark ray, of course. Asa grabbed Kuwabara by the wrist and dragged him along with her maniacally, appearing rushed to find the gods so that she could get to Kurama more quickly to the others, but they all missed her evil grin. "Bye Jin, later Touya!" she called over her shoulder to the boys, who waved back.

"Asa-chan, slow down, man!"

"Chill out, Catty," she grumbled, letting at least his feet touch the ground so that he wasn't flying behind her as she dragged him. "I hope you don't mind us going the wrong way, buddy," she added under her breath, so that he barely heard her.

"Huh? Whaddaya mean, going the wrong way?"

"I mean, Sakai's soul was cleansed…and his presence here tarnished the souls of everything else, if you hadn't noticed." He gave her a puzzled look. "_So_, my dear boy, we're following the _cleansed_ soul."

"…Wha…? OH!" His eyes lit up with realization. "You mean we're going to Sakai's!"

After a long pause, he repeated, this time stopping and grabbing her shoulders to turn her to him and stare at her like she was crazy, "_WE'RE GOING TO SAKAI'S_!"

She gave him an innocent smile, batting her lashes and tilting her head to the side, quite the picture of a little angel. "…Oops?" Before he could get another word in, she turned around, continuing her run toward the white ray's extension, where Sakai – and Kurama – would be waiting for them.

Kuwabara stared after her in bewilderment, then threw up his arms in resignation. "Too late to turn back now, and I can't let her go alone," he said to no one in particular, hurrying after his short friend.

-

Kurama wasn't quite sure where he was. He'd been running through Genkai's gardens a moment before, for Asa's final training session. He could feel her power growing steadily ever _since_ then, and had a good assumption that the vortex that had swallowed him, and the place where he'd been moments before, with bright lights, were Asa's full power, sending _him_ through a portal into the world on whose ground he now stood – he assumed it was Kamekai, since that was the only world to which Asa could open an indirect portal.

But as soon as he'd landed on Kamekai, he'd been aware of a strong, evil presence. He recognized it immediately, and almost on impulse, took off toward it. Sakai was here. So it _was_ Kamekai. He was sure that, back on _his_ world, the others would soon be discovering his absence, and indeed, Asa would be shocked, worried, possibly blaming herself for it. He was sorry for that, but he intended to take care of Sakai before she got here – even if it killed him. Unlike the others would have once they arrived, _he_ was fully aware of what would happen should Asa open the portal and arrive here – the prophecy was still fresh in his mind.

She could be destroyed should he let her get to Sakai. The Light she possessed, no matter what the trigger _was_, could ultimately dispose of her soul when she used it to defeat the Shadow, Sakai. He could _not_ allow that to happen. Although he had yet to tell her, waiting for her to show to him that the time was right, he loved her too dearly to let anything like that ever happen to her. He would be her rock, her shelter, from this, the one thing that could ultimately undo her, her own power. To do _that_, however, he'd have to defeat Sakai. He wasn't quite so certain how he was going to accomplish that task, but he was prepared for it. There were plenty of plants in this place capable of being manipulated, as the entire world was considered holy ground, and all of its plants were probably full of spirit energy.

He could almost _smell_ the blood on the air, and knew then that Sakai had already chosen several victims, probably the mortals blessed by the gods to live in Kamekai, the Divinities, as normal mortals had nicknamed them in fairy tales. Asa had told him about them, and about the Shapeshifters, dragons, and such fantastic creatures, all living here. He'd held onto every word, fairly certain he'd be able to use the knowledge later.

She was helping him, and she didn't even know it. That fact made him more amazed by her by the second – and his lips curved upward into a smile thinking about the look on her face the night before, when she'd settled in his arms and fallen asleep under his careful watch. If he survived this encounter with Sakai – and he convinced himself that he _had_ to, for her sake – he planned a good many more of those little moments, and the first one would be quite important to them both.

On his way to wherever it was Sakai's energy was leading him, he collected several of the plants from Kamekai's fine selection, and before he knew it, he had reached a strange temple, that strongly reminded him of Sakai's residence, made from black onyx. _So, this is where he decided to stay during his short visit here. A pity. The choice of setting for his final moments does not offer a magnificent view of Kamekai. He'll die without seeing it._

Kurama entered. The first hallway was lined with lowly parasitic demons – he took care of those with a few slashes of his Rose Whip. He didn't see the demoness whom they had befriended, Akira, throughout his trek inside the onyx voyage, and was well aware that what he had feared about her death had probably come to pass. He carried his choice weapon wrapped around his forearm protectively, passing through each room and each hallway tactfully, seeking out his enemy but finding only his fledglings, and they were almost too easily dealt with.

Finally, however, he entered the throne room of Sakai's fortress, and faced the Dark Shadow Master himself. Sakai had been leaning his head into his palm, his elbow propped on an arm of his throne. Several of his servants stood around him, looking concerned, but one finally noticed that they had received company, and hissed Kurama's way.

"So, Master Fox," Sakai spoke with contempt, not raising his head. "You've arrived at last. Welcome to my more humble temporary home."

"I see you haven't consumed any gods yet," Kurama answered, raising an eyebrow. "Are you not in a well-enough position to hunt them down yet, I wonder?"

Sakai laughed. "You've seen these servants, they are not the ones you know. I've already hunted down a god, and consumed his soul. Ishi, God of Stone. These demons were _his_ slaves – now they are mine."

"So you are stronger than you were, but still not immortal. That's fortunate."

"Indeed? How so?"

"It means I am still capable of killing you," Kurama answered, a cool threat laced in his words. Sakai's face changed into one of amusement, and he finally met Kurama's gaze. "You look entertained, Sakai. Yet I wasn't jesting."

"You must not remember the last time you tried to kill me. I ripped you apart. Perhaps you should have stayed that way."

"I remember the last time, but you must know, I never make the same mistakes twice." Kurama's eyes darkened and narrowed. "It is not in my nature."

"I've been entertained by this little conversation, so I should consider letting you live…" Sakai's voice trailed off as he gave his servants a thoughtful expression. "No, no, that won't do. Never mind, Master Fox, my servants are going to kill you."

As he spoke, all his demon fledglings turned toward Kurama, eyes bright red. His face turned to one of disgust. "There is no honor in forcing others to fight your battles for you. And these, not even D-Class demons, are naturally not a match for me. You've sacrificed them thinking it will weaken me." He took the handle of his Whip into his hand, and with a single attack, killed all the demons instantly. As several appendages started precipitating to the floor around them ((eww, I feel dirty just writing this)), Kurama glared at their master. "What a pitiful end, for creatures that may have had the chance for redemption. Are you satisfied now? I've killed all your slaves, now there is only you and I."

Sakai slowly stood. "So, you wish to avenge what I did to your precious little priestess? Where is she, by the way?" Kurama didn't answer. Sakai smiled. "Ah, you left her in the safety of your friends' care. You don't want her near me, then, is that it? How disappointing."

"Not in the least. I prefer Asa _with_ her soul un-devoured, thank you." The discussion ceased, as the two glared each other down. Then, in a flash of motion, the beginning of the final battle began.

-

"Damn that brat!" Yusuke snarled, glaring at what lay before him. There were nine of the ten gods in the temple Asa's ray of light had directed he and Hiei toward, and they discovered quickly that Ishi had been consumed by "the great beast that entered through the sky," as Tomoshibi, the goddess of Light, informed them.

They'd been so badly duped by a stinkin' shorter, younger, less experienced _girl_ that it was damn embarrassing.

"Damn her to hell!" Yusuke added for good measure, turning on his heel and taking off. "You jerks all need to stay in this temple!" he told the gods over his shoulder, all the Divinities also gathered around them in the Temple of Protection, a holy place where Sakai would not be able to venture. It had taken them a good while to get there, so they weren't surprised when, by the time they reached the point where Asa had created the orb – where they'd crossed into Kamekai from the Interverse, Kasumi and Natsumi were just emerging from the in-between of the worlds.

"Urameshi!" Jin called, catching Kasumi in one arm as she descended from the light and turning to wave to him with the other. "Ye already beaten the big bad man, then, aye?"

"_Iiye_, Asa jipped us. She sent us in the wrong direction – we got to the gods," he responded. "C'mon guys, we need to hurry before she reaches Sakai. You know what'll happen then."

"Aye. The lassie isn't all that bent on seein' her friends hurt, and she's got a wicked stubborn streak in 'er, she does!"

"Aye – err, I mean, _aa_, she does. Dammit, Jin, now you have _me_ talkin' like you!" Yusuke snarled.

"Amazing what you do when your temper takes over, isn't it?" Touya asked calmly, with a smile toward Natsumi, as they all took off after the white ray of light that Asa had created.

"Whatever."

"Just as long as we reach the _ningens_ and the _kitsune_ in time," Hiei muttered.

-

Asa and Kuwabara reached the onyx temple some time later. "Here we are, Catty!" Asa exclaimed, glancing at him victoriously. They looked up toward the entrance to the temple – only to see that it had been almost totally blocked. Only a half-crushed body near the top held the stone slab from closing – apparently, someone had gone inside the temple, and the door had moved _upward_ to block out any other intruders.

"Yeah, here we are, but how're you planning on getting inside, Ace?" She glared at him for the new nickname, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Well, could you give me a boost?" she asked, playing on his stupidity when it came to thinking about these sorts of things quickly enough to know what she was planning. He nodded, lacing together his fingers and holding them down so that she could step into his hands. She did, and he launched her upward, high enough so that she could grab the edge of the door and climb up into the little hole it allowed. She glanced sidelong at the corpse of one of the demons, trying not to notice all the blood seeping from it, but unable to keep a lump from rising into her throat.

"Asa, what am _I_ supposed to do? I won't be able to squeeze through that gap!" Kuwabara called to her.

She turned herself around so that she could poke her head out to look at him. "I guess you're gonna have to wait here then, aren't you, Catty?" He nodded, then, after a pause, glared.

"Dammit, Asa, you were planning this the whole time!"

"Well, yeah! I wouldn't want to inconvenience poor Yukina with worry over getting you hurt again, now would I?" That said, she pushed herself inside, and dropped down from the top of the door, landing in a crouch and holding her position a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. When she did, she wished she hadn't. Bodies were strewn throughout every room, and as she traveled through the temple, she got the strongest suspicion that maybe Kurama was more than just "impatient" or "displeased" with Sakai. The lump that had formed in her throat tightened, and she had to pause to remember how to breathe around it.

Something was wrong – but not with this around her, or with Sakai's presence…something was wrong with _her_. A strange feeling was accompanying the knot in her throat, like an illness that had only just now caught up with her. It had to have something to do with that damn prophecy, she decided, and pushed on. Halfway through the temple, following Kurama's trail of carnage, she heard the sounds of fighting, and followed _them_, into the throne room, where her eyes widened to behold what was happening.

Plants were growing everywhere – obviously weapons of war, Kurama's chosen weapons. There were broken limbs all over the place, too, signs that Sakai hadn't taken very well to almost falling prey to the infamous fox.

But it was the center of the room where her eyes caught onto them – Sakai stood, in half-human, half-demon form, a strange two-legged beast of black flesh and a twisted face, human eyes set in the pantherlike head that he had as a demon, not unscathed. Blood poured from several open wounds on his body, and one above his brow sent the red ooze into his eye, causing it to take on a sickeningly lurid hue.

In his hand, which he held above him, he held the throat of Kurama, who looked worse for the wear. He wasn't quite as bad as he looked after their last battle, but he had blood pouring, too, most of it from a large bruised cut on his arm, which was visible due to Sakai's ripping his sleeve to shreds.

Asa's eyes widened further as Sakai growled, bringing his other hand up, to attack with the claws that decorated it. It would be the fatal blow. To her own ears, when she finally found her voice, it sounded hoarse, and weak, which was unfortunate, because Sakai would know just how afraid she truly was that he would kill Kurama.

"_NO_!"

-

Okay, I think that's quite far enough for today. (yawn)

All Boys: WHAAAAAAT!

…What?

Yusuke: You can't just stop THERE! That's too much of a cliffhanger!

So?

Yusuke: You're gonna get yourself – and all of _us_ – killed!

By whom?

Yusuke: The readers!

They can't kill me! Then no one will be able to tell them how the story ends!

Yusuke: …Good point. Okay. Going to relax.

Anyway. Umm…So-kun….I'm not sure what to do to cheer you up! SOOOOOOOoooo….

(gives you oodles of 2-D Touya and Kurama stuffs – posters, emails, you name it; and chocolate) I hope that makes up for some of the loss. (cries) I know how loss is; it sucks. But chocolate is the universal cure for any and all problems!

Kurama: She would know, too.

Yup, yup, I really really really would!

Kuwabara: (slaps self in head with Disclaimer sign)


	21. Chapter Twenty The Light and the Shadow

Chapter Twenty- The Light and the Shadow

"_NO_!"

Sakai's claws stopped just before piercing the flesh on Kurama's neck. Both demons looked toward the direction where the overwrought cry had come from – Kurama gave her a protesting look, Sakai grinned at her. Her presence had just saved the fox's life.

"Well if it isn't my precious little priestess!" Sakai threw Kurama's prone body against the wall, where he slumped down, head falling against his knee. Asa glared at Sakai, keeping her eyes on him, but hurrying to Kurama's side. Once there, she kneeled down beside him, taking his face in her hands and turning it up to hers.

"Kurama, _daijobu_?" she asked, concern etched in her features.

"_Hai_…Asa-chan, you shouldn't…you shouldn't have come," he said in a strained, urgent whisper.

"I had to," she replied, with a small, mysterious smile. "_You're_ here, silly." She brought his head forward, and pressed her lips to his forehead, before withdrawing again. "You know what I have to do, Kurama."

"That is why I did not want you here," he told her, furrowing his brow. "Asa, _please_…"

She placed a finger over his lips, silencing him, and leaned in until her lips were just by his ear. "I'm sorry, Kurama, for anything I've done to hurt you." She stood abruptly then, leaning him back against the wall, and turned to walk toward Sakai. "Long time, no see, buddy!" she said, in a falsely chipper bravado.

"Indeed. It's about time we made a date for a bite to eat, little angel," he told her, smirking.

"Yeah, I've heard that before. You men and your false promises. You never even called me back the last time!" She rolled her eyes at him, holding up her palm. An orb of light immediately appeared there, then wrapped around her forearm, forming into a crossbow.

"Ooh, the lady's learned some tricks, has she?" Sakai asked, brows reaching what should have been his hairline.

"Yup. You're gonna like 'em, too!" She held her arm in her free hand to steady her shot, and flicked her thumb, releasing an arrow of light, which shot at Sakai, who started to leap backwards to dodge it – but to his surprise, it burst into a thousand little particles, embedding themselves into his skin and making tiny explosions. When Sakai landed, there was a collection of bloody cuts all over him.

He snarled, "Nice shot," and bit back a growl of pain as he glanced himself over. Then, he looked up, eyes flashing a ruby red color. "_My_ turn." He disappeared – well, sort of. Asa knew better than to believe he'd just vanished – Hiei had taught her this trick of deception and agility, and she let her eyes go unfocused, enabling herself to see the blur that was Sakai moving in a wide circle around her. The crossbow of light reloaded itself with an arrow, and she held her aim, then released the shot.

It made Sakai slow down just enough so that she was able to duck when he moved in to attack her. His claws caught on her back, however, and although she missed a potentially fatal blow from him, her back was ripped open. She heard Kurama's sound of concern when she cried out in pain, and threw him a reassuring look as she stood up to relocate Sakai.

She didn't see him. Brow furrowed, she turned to look over the entire room, then met Kurama's gaze, and when he gave her a pointed look, her eyes widened as she realized she knew what he was thinking, before she produced an explosive orb and threw it upward, toward the ceiling. Its explosion and a cry met her ears, and she rolled underneath some of the large leaves of one of the plants that had grown in the room, hiding herself from Sakai's view. At least she knew Kurama was in no danger, now that Sakai was after her.

Sakai held his shoulder, where the damned orb had hit, and held onto his perch on the ceiling, looking around the room and realizing that Asa had hidden from him. He looked toward the boy. "So you two can speak to each other without words now, eh? How sickeningly romantic."

Where Asa was crouched, she stuck her tongue out at Sakai's words instinctively. Then, rolling her eyes at her own childish activity, she let her thoughts roll over what she was going to do next. This was no ordinary demon now – she knew that. He must have devoured a god already. That was probably how he acquired this temple, too. From the looks of it, it was Ishi whom he had swallowed. Kind of a disgusting way to die, she thought, wrinkling her nose. But back to the subject at hand – how to defeat the bastard. She had a wounded Kurama over against the wall, so she couldn't let Sakai get anywhere near _him_, and she had a pretty damn strong demon somewhere above her head. Because for _some_ damn reason, he could hang from ceilings. _What a day. This is definitely going into my diary when I get home._

_…If you get home,_ the pesky little annoying voice in the back of her head reminded her.

_…Traitor._ She leaned forward ever-so-slightly, so that she was still covered by the leaves of the plants, but could see the ceiling _through_ them. There was Sakai, perched upside-down in the center of the ceiling. She couldn't throw another orb at him – he would see it easily. How the freaking hell was he hanging upside-down, anyway? Shaking her head to clear all stupid questions, she again looked to Kurama, who could still see her. Fortunately, he was making it look like he _couldn't_, so he wasn't giving her away, but she knew he was watching, and flashed a smile of encouragement before ducking low and crawling deeper into the leaves, careful not to disturb any of them or to make any noise.

"Priestess! Oh, priestess, where are you?" she heard Sakai call, laughter in his voice. _What the hell's he up to now?_ she wondered, narrowing her eyes as she paused to listen to his stupidity. "You know what, priestess? I just remembered where I thought I knew you from when I first laid eyes on you! You look _just_ like your mother!" Asa froze, clenching her teeth and glancing upward through the leaves to glare daggers at the black thing hanging from the ceiling still. He stood up, and released himself from the ceiling, turning and landing smoothly on the floor. "Yes, I remember your mother. She was a priestess too, was she not? I hunted her, for many years – in fact, your grandmother was one of my victims, as well." He started walking through the plants, obviously looking for her. "I finally _found_ your mother when she was asleep in her home, the home she'd built with that god-awful human she married, who I assume is your father. I killed her by setting flame to that home – and I remember the scent of a child there. That child was _you_, wasn't it, priestess?"

He'd wanted a reaction – he got it. Asa stood up, through the leaves, tears in the corners of her eyes, facing her mother's killer with her palm held out before her, and releasing a barrage of attack orbs on him. He smirked when he turned his head to her, and leapt upward to dodge her attack, then flew toward her, before she could redirect it or dodge the blow that he landed across her face – the punch sent her flying, and she skidded once she hit the ground, rolling until finally the wall stopped her. The rate she'd accelerated through the air caused so much friction that her clothes and skin got burned against the floor, and she struggled to get to her feet, a new bump decorating her forehead.

She was unfazed.

But, she _was_ pretty highly pissed the hell off.

And when Asa was pretty highly pissed the hell off, everybody knew it that was graced with her good company. Kurama almost winced at the look on her face when her eyes met Sakai's – there was actually _fire_ in her eyes. That was just freaky.

And she had plausible reason for being so enraged, too. What had remained of her childhood after her mother was killed and for most of her adolescence, she'd believed that it was the fire that killed Mitsukai. And she hadn't been mistaken, but she hadn't been correct, either, for although the fire ultimately _did_ take her mother's life, it was the striker of the flame who was the murderer behind the whole thing, and now that she had the confession of Sakai, she wasn't really going to let him off the hook until she'd thoroughly put him through hell, Kurama decided, blinking a few times when he realized a little belatedly that any blood loss he'd experienced was beginning to effect his vision. Struggling to his feet wasn't going to do any good, unless he had a death wish – which was definitely something he didn't have just yet. To get in Asa's way right _now_ would mean certain and utmost death indeed.

It was then that both he and Sakai noticed the strange new aura surrounding the priestess. Her anger had brought out a whole new power from her – one that was even freakier than the fire that was still quite visible in her eyes. The aura radiated off of her in waves that reached the outermost walls of the temple, producing a sort-of layer of power overtop of them all.

"Struck a nerve, did I?" Sakai asked idly, raising an eyebrow at the power emanating from her. Asa didn't pretend to acknowledge him, but started throwing orbs all about the room – they paused around him, causing his eyebrow to arch even higher. "Trying to decorate my temple with pretty lights, Priestess?"

"_No_," she growled up at him, furrowing her brow. "Just another little trick, Sakai." All at once, the orbs blew up, surrounding Sakai in a cage of light. "It's a defensive mechanism – a sort-of trump card, if you will," she continued, advancing on him with a strange light spiking out from her body. It was as if the light were bolts of lightning – they all struck Sakai, and he winced with pain for every hit. Then, in a fit of rage at being caught by such an unworthy adversary, Sakai threw out his limbs, breaking through his prison of light and landing on the ground.

"I'm displeased with you, little angel," he confessed. "I didn't think you'd be this powerless against me."

"Powerless?" she repeated. "Sorry, dude, the most powerless one I see is, uh, _you_. I'm not as badly injured as you are – where I come from, that counts for something." He glared at her sharply.

"Obviously, you have not realized yet, that I've been _toying_ with you, dearest Priestess."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "You're bluffing."

"Am I? Did you not yet notice, I have not taken on my _true_ form." His voice turned to a roar, as he started reverting to the panther-like demon that he had been before acquiring his human form. The large black beast now stood before her, baring its fangs, and she fought back the urge to gulp, glancing at Kurama worriedly.

Her silent words were clearly understood. She was going to get to him, and flee with him as far as she could before Sakai caught up – she couldn't risk him. But before she could get to him, Sakai noticed her look, and leapt up over her head, blocking her path.

Asa didn't know what happened after that – for suddenly she was standing in the temple she'd dreamed of when Ai sent her into the past, but this time, the older priestess was standing before her. She looked around, then at Ai, raising an eyebrow at the similarities between the High Priestess of the Order of the Fox and her own features. "Uh…hi," she finally offered, realizing that Ai was waiting for her to speak.

Ai smiled cordially, inclining her head and folding her hands before her. "_Konnichiwa_, Asa-dono. I hope you're faring well."

Asa glanced over herself to wave a hand over her wounds – but froze when she saw that they weren't there. "Um…yeah, yeah, it looks that way. Hey, look, Ai, I hate to um, interrupt this little discussion, but wasn't I just fighting Sakai?"

Ai's expression turned grave. "_Hai_, Asa-dono. You were. But in your present state, you cannot win against the Shadow."

"So, we were _right_? Sakai _is_ the Shadow, huh?"

"_Hai_, but Asa-dono, you must listen." Asa's ears perked up, and she straightened, fully attentive. "To receive the Light, the Light that will ultimately destroy Sakai, you must…"

Asa leaned forward slightly, brows raising. "I must…?"

Ai smiled at her young counterpart. "You must…_confess_ your devotion to the one who holds your heart, dearest." Asa's eyes widened visibly, to the point where Ai couldn't help but laugh. "And he must hold you in the same regard…but he must also allow you to…make your sacrifice."

"My _what_?"

"Your sacrifice, Asa-dono. To save your loved ones, and the rest of the world, to release and control the Light, you must sacrifice your own life." Asa gave her a fearful look, suddenly quite nervous.

"I-I don't…I don't think I can do that, Ai. I…I don't wanna die."

"Do you want to save him?" Ai asked gently. "Do you wish to protect your friends?"

Asa hesitated for a long moment. Then, tremulously, she spoke, "Y-yes… Yes, I want to protect them. I want to save Kurama."

"Then you must make this sacrifice." Ai offered her an encouraging smile. "I promise you, Asa-dono, I would not tell you this if I didn't know that things would turn out for the best. These save-the-world escapades seem to work themselves out just fine in the end."

"That's not how your story went, if I remember correctly," Asa corrected her.

"_Iiye_, but my story was not finished. You share my soul, remember, Asa. And if things hadn't ended for me as they did, you would not have been born, and Shuuichi Minamino would not have come to be Kurama. Do you see now?"

"…_Hai_. I will do what I must. _Arigatou_, Ai."

"You're welcome, Asa-dono."

Asa blinked, and was instantly back in the present, in the same instant she had been visited by Ai, with Sakai growling dangerously at her, Kurama behind him, slumped against the wall, eyes wide with concern for her. She smirked at the beast before her, and with a sweeping gesture of her arm, sent a wave of her light crashing into him, shoving him out of her way. She rushed to Kurama, pulling him into her arms, to his great surprise.

"Asa, what are you?"

"Sh," she said, laying a finger on his lips. "I just had a discussion with Ai. I know what to do now," she explained then, to his chagrin. "I can release the Light, but only with _your_ cooperation."

"My cooperation?" he repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Kurama, do you love me?"

"_Nani_?" This certainly wasn't the way he'd planned _this_ conversation. He looked up at her quizzically, but she held his chest in her arms to prevent him from seeing the tears that were forming in her eyes.

_For you…for you I have to do this…_ "You heard me," she finally said, voice betraying her sudden timidity. "Do you love me?"

"Asa…"

"I need to know, Kurama."

"…_Hai_," he said after a long moment, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I love you, Asa. I love you more than life itself."

She smiled, hugging him more closely. "Good. I love you, too."

"Was this really the time for this, though?"

"Yes, it was. I need one more thing, Kurama." He pulled back, but again to no avail – she only tightened her hold on him, keeping his cheek pressed against her heart. "I need you to promise that whatever happens to me, you won't mind."

"What do you mean, I won't mind?" he almost snapped the question, but remembered who it was he was talking to, and held back the bite in his voice. "What could happen to you, Asa?"

"You already know. You've been afraid of it for all this time." His grip became fierce, and he choked on what he would have said to dissuade her from doing anything to release the Light and destroy Sakai. She stroked his silky hair, smiling down at the back of his head, able to read his thoughts without his voicing them. "I promise you, Kurama, everything will turn out alright. But you have to promise me, promise me you won't interfere with what I have to do. Please? I need this."

He finally felt her grip on him lessen, and raised his head to see her clearly, cupping her face in his hands. "I can't lose you, not now," he whispered.

She shook her head. "You never will. No matter what happens to me, I'll always be with you. Remember, Ai and Youko? Well, look at us now. She died, and now she's a part of _me_. He died, now he's a part of you."

"But if you…if you _go_, I'll be losing you…_again_." She knew he wasn't referring to Ai's death.

"I give you my word, Kurama. You're not going to lose me. But you have to trust me – trust me to do the right thing, and let me go." He hesitated. It wasn't a question of his trust – he trusted her completely. But he didn't trust _himself_ to be able to do without her. If he lost her, he would die. Finally, with a sigh of resignation, he pulled her into a hug, and then loosened his grip. She let him lean back against the wall, and then stood, turning back to Sakai, who was breaking his way through her wave of light.

_He loves me…he said so._ A surge of pure joy shot throughout her entire body – one that she couldn't suppress. The anger she felt toward Sakai, the hatred, all the negative energy dissipated, leaving only an airy feeling, a whole feeling. She knew what Ai meant now by calling her power the Light – only light could be used to describe something this pure.

The creature that was formed from the light above her Kurama could only describe as an angel – it wrapped its wings about Asa, and she closed her eyes, concentrating on that light while Sakai leapt toward her, fully intent on ripping her to shreds. The angel of light's wings, however, blocked him from the priestess, and she opened her eyes to look through the ethereal feathered wings at the black beast. Her eyes, Kurama noticed, had turned completely golden.

"You who have harmed the innocent and the good," Asa spoke, her voice entwined with several others that sounded deeper and melodic. "You who have wronged the balance of Nature. You who have threatened the existence of mankind, you who have infringed on the rights of those who live. You who have sinned against the gods, and destroyed one. It is time that you are taken care of."

The angel was speaking _through_ Asa. The Light had taken over her! Kurama winced at the power that was now generating from her – she was easily stronger than an entire _army_ of hundreds of thousands of Yusukes. Sakai squirmed in the grip that he was in – it seemed that the lair of quintessence surrounding Asa had caught him, like a gel-like substance.

Asa's glowing eyes turned to meet Kurama's – and for an instant, flashed back to their icy blue color. Then it was gone, and she raised her right hand, splaying her fingers upward, her palm facing Sakai. The angel copied her movements, spreading its wing that had trapped the demon so that Sakai was still directly before Asa. Then, the angel's other wing wrapped around both Asa and the beast, covering them from Kurama's view.

Through the wing, which had become more solid, he saw the faint outline of both priestess and demon, and he saw a bright flash coming from inside the angel's wings, but he couldn't tell what had happened – he assumed that Asa had just attacked Sakai with her Light. The angel's wings wrapped more tightly around the two enemies, forming a cocoon of sorts, then exploded outward in a barrage of feathers. Kurama struggled to his feet, leaning with one hand against the wall, holding his injured side in the grip of his other arm, watching the feathers settle, then the dust that had come from the explosion of the Light.

There was no sign of Sakai, but there was no sign of Asa, either.

He didn't stumble once as he stiffly walked to where he'd last seen her, then turned his eyes about, his plants finally beginning to return to their original forms. Still no Asa. But there, from the hall, came an ongoing call – someone was calling for them. "Asa, Kurama!"

Kurama recognized the voice – it belonged to Yusuke. Yusuke appeared in the doorway, and his eyes widened as he took in the scene, then he looked up at Kurama. "What happened, Kurama?"

"She…she used the Light," he answered, voice barely above a whisper, as his emerald eyes dropped guiltily to the ground. "She made me promise not to interfere, and I kept my word, but she broke hers."

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked, concerned. He slowly walked to his friend's side, and helped him stay upright, taking Kurama's arm and wrapping it around his shoulders.

"She said that everything would be alright…but it isn't, Yusuke, not like this. She's _gone_."

"Gone…you mean…? Oh, damn her to hell…" Yusuke's eyes dropped, as well, and his face fell. "That damn girl. She was so stubborn – she tricked us. She had us believe that we were going after Sakai – but she really sent us after the gods…I'm so sorry, Kurama."

"Where are the others?" Kurama asked, quickly changing the subject and lowering his head to hide his eyes.

"They're outside – Jin and Touya are trying to keep the in-laws at bay, 'cause they're blaming each other for Asa's tricking us all. The twins are just staying at the temple – they're all worried about you…they'll want to know what happened." Kurama nodded, allowing Yusuke to help him walk away from the site that had ultimately undone his life. They'd be taking the long way home…

Kurama couldn't help but remember Asa's promise not to leave him. (Hey, really really quick a/n: don't kill me just yet!)

-

In the next week or so, with the assistance of the gods, they were all safe and sound, in Genkai's temple. However, not a one of them could utter a word, and a black coat of despair hung over the place. Although everyone had been pretty sure of what Asa's fate would be, none of them had realized that, without her, theirs was a simply loathed existence – there was no one to make them laugh when they felt depressed, no one to come in and do something crazy, no one for the girls to experiment on with makeup, no one to give silly nicknames to everyone, no one to put the light back in Kurama's eyes.

And it was true, there had been no light in those eyes since the moment Yusuke had found Kurama standing alone in the onyx temple. Ishi, the God of Stone, had had a son, Kuroishi, who had taken up his throne, and so the Divine World was set to rights, but their world had truly lost a creature worthy of living in Kamekai, or heaven itself.

While the others 'celebrated' their victory – really a rather bad celebration, for it was more sepulchral than a funeral – Kurama decided to take a stroll, his wounds all fully healed, his temperance and patience with his friends not at all recovered. They kept trying to cheer him up – and they were failing miserably, quite contradicting their original goal by agitating him further. He didn't wish to speak about what happened – they kept asking him questions anyway; he didn't desire an interview with Jeri, afraid to have to explain what had happened to his daughter – but for some reason, he kept running into the man; he didn't want to see another picture of Asa, for it sickened him to see so still an image – more and more pictures kept popping up, especially around the temple.

So, naturally, escape was his only option. He left the temple before the others could notice him, but, also naturally, there was one who could detect his every notion, and met him at the door, leaning against the frame with his hand stuffed into his pockets.

"Hiei," Kurama paused. "Are you standing in my way with reason? You've done so before."

"Hn. _Iiye_, no reason this time. I'm just wondering whether you're going to Higurashi Temple."

"Why would I be going there?" Kurama asked curiously.

"That was to be _her_ temple, was it not?" Kurama glared at him for a moment, then nodded.

"It was. But that doesn't mean I'm going there, now does it?" His friend shook his head with a smirk, and stepped out of his way. "Thank you. I'll return shortly." Again, he got a shake of the head, and gave Hiei a second curious look.

"No, you won't," he explained. "You really shouldn't lie, it doesn't become you. You'll be wandering about all night."

"Good night, Hiei."

Agitated, Kurama hurried off into the darkness of the trees, his path lighted only by the moonlight filtering down through the leaves. He didn't need light, though – he knew his path by heart.

And although he hated to admit that Hiei was right…he ended up at Higurashi Temple sometime after midnight.

The temple was dead quiet – all its occupants had doubtless already retired for the night. But Kurama had been inside this temple, and knew his way around. He didn't exactly know why he was going to the garden, but it seemed his feet had decided that it was his destination.

There was a large ringlet of sakura trees, in the center of which was a fountain, a stone path, a marble bench, roses, lavender, musk…a collection of flowers. He sat upon the bench, hands folded in his lap, and looked about with a sigh. As beautiful as this place was, it seemed melancholy with the knowledge that there was no Asa to make it worthwhile.

A second sigh, and he leaned back against the back of the bench, crossing his arms over his chest and staring into the water of the fountain. Koi were swimming around, very strange-looking with their red, white, and black scales reflecting the moonlight. They didn't seem to mind being stared at – on the contrary, they seemed to enjoy showing themselves off, and swam even closer to the water's surface, their fins breaking through sleekly.

_You broke your promise. You said everything would work out. You said you'd never leave me, that you'd always be here. But where are you now? I can't see you – I can't hold you. I kept my word, why didn't you?_

He was angry, and it made no sense, because he really had no reason to be. It was her word that she'd always be with him, yes, and he could still sense her…somewhere nearby. So really, she hadn't broken her promise, but he needed to vent on _someone_…and _she_ was the one who died. But it wasn't fair to her, and it was a betrayal to his own heart.

_- She's never done you any wrong, why blame her, when it was her fate to wield the Light? -_

_I'm aware of all that. Will you please just leave me be, Youko? Right now isn't the time._

The elder demon's voice was silent then. Kurama's head fell into his hands, and he sighed a third time.

"I'd like to tell you a story." The voice caught him off guard – he jumped, looking up, already jumping into a defensive stance. He froze, however, when his eyes met two icy blue ones, whose owner had a smirk painted on her face.

"Asa?" He thought it was her – he was almost positive. But the white filmy dress she was wearing and her long black hair falling down around her didn't match the usual Asa he knew. In fact, she looked…_different_. Her eyes had flecks of gold in them, and of silver, and her hair was even _longer_ now, straight all the way down to the tips, until each strand turned into a ringlet. And she looked a little taller – not much (she was still the third shortest of his closest friends), but a little.

"Sit down, Kurama." He did as he was told, somewhat mechanically. "Thank you. Now, about that story…"

"Are you…real?"

"Are you going to let me tell you the story or not?" Surprised, he nodded. Well, she certainly _acted_ like the real Asa. "Good. Now, where to begin…" She sat down beside him, a thoughtful expression upon her face as she tapped her chin. "Okay. I know. Well, you don't know this, but in the Divine World, time flows…differently. And, there are different rules for who lives and who dies. Well, a few…months ago, in Kamekai time, the prophecy was fulfilled – the Light conquered the Shadow." Kurama's expression tightened into one of anger. She rolled her eyes. "But obviously, you knew that. And you also knew that, to wield the Light, its user must…make a sacrifice." He nodded at her, urging her to continue. "Well, again, we return to those things you didn't know. When a wielder of the purest power sacrifices themselves for the benefit of others, it's called a "selfless act." Apparently, the gods seem to take favor on those who act selflessly – and despite fatality, that person is taken and changed…into something that can't die so easily."

"What, a Divinity?"

"Precisely. So, I'm sure I don't have to go into _any_ more detail."

"You were turned into a Divinity. So, you were in Kamekai for…how many months?"

"Uh, err…I'd say about three. That's why I got taller and my hair got longer. But, uh, the eyes and the ringlets…they kinda came with the whole Divinity package."

"And the dress?" he asked, voice laced with amusement.

"That wasn't my choice. I had to change wardrobe because mine was kinda _destroyed_ in that explosion," she explained in a growl, giving him a "don't even _go_ there" look as she blushed.

"Oh, I see. So you were, um…_naked_ whenever you came back to life."

"Didn't I already give you the "don't even _go_ there" look!" He laughed at her, pulling her into a hug. "And by the way," she added, giving him a playful punch on the arm, "you doubted me."

"No," he corrected. "I got angry with you. You…left."

"Actually, if you wanna get technical, I _died_. But I was never really gone. I told you I wouldn't leave you. I kept my word."

"I'm aware of that."

"And I love you."

"I'm aware of that, too."

"Kurama!" she scolded in annoyance, furrowing her brow up at him.

"Alright, alright – I love you, too." He kissed her forehead, then gave her a look.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Do you know that we're going to have to explain _all_ of this to Yusuke, _and_ Kuwabara?"

"Eeehhh…" She made a rather freaked out face. "We'll be talking all night and all day!"

"Possibly. So what do you say we put that off? I think your father will want to see you."

"Daddy? Oh, of course! He must think…have you told him…?"

"No…I couldn't. But he _is_ getting curious as to your whereabouts."

"Okay. That's our first stop – maybe I can actually get back into something I _like_," she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the dress.

"And our second stop?"

She looked up at him with a wicked twinkle in her eyes. "Have you ever pulled a prank in your entire life?"

"Not that I know of, why?"

"Maybe we'll experiment with pranking a few of the boys while they're sleeping…" He chuckled at her, pulling her up into his lap and giving her a questioning look. "What, you're asking my permission?"

"It's only the gentlemanly thing to do," he replied.

"Well, you have all the permission you need." That exchange over with, he took her face in his hand, and drew it upward, to his, until their lips met in a tender kiss. When he pulled away, she smiled. "See, _that_ was too gentlemanly."

"Oh, really?" Amused by her playful insult, he kissed her a second time, less "gentlemanly," as she'd put it, then, stood, holding her in his arms, despite her protests. "So…what exactly were you doing in Kamekai?"

THE END

-

Okay, so. That's it! Until, of course…the sequel. (sly devilish glance) Lol, seriously, though. I suck at titles and summaries (obviously) so the sequel to AOF will probably be something just as corny. Ick.

Yusuke- Yeah, and you almost _did_ get killed, by the way. Just felt like pointing that out.

Oh shut up. I didn't ask you.

Yusuke- Actually, yeah, you did. …Sort of.

…(glare) Just do the stinkin' review response thing you do.

Yusuke- Okay. Sun Priestess, OMG that was freaking hilarious! No one's gone "all 'rahr'" on Meka, you're the first! Go you! And thanks for reviewing so…threateningly. (nervous glance)

Hiei- Lala…um, hi. It's a good thing all the chapters put you in a good mood – we'll have to remind the _onna_ to do that more often – she's already planning MAJOR cliffies for the sequel.

You just used lit. slang, hah!

Hiei- …Right.

Kurama- Why do I always respond in EVERY chapter?

Because everybody loves you.

Kurama- Do they? (feels loved)

Yeah, so. Respond. Now. Lover-boy. (evil grin)

Kurama- Hate you. Anyway. Dragonmount. Good evening. (bows) Thanks for the review. And don't fall off your chair – it seems to hurt. Meka does it every time she writes. (whisper whisper) She falls asleep writing.

Shaddap!

Kuwabara- Can I FINALLY put down this Disclaimer sign?

Hmm….yeah, I guess so. I'm proud of ya, though, bud. You've held it the ENTIRE story. Go stretch awhile, until I post the beginning of the sequel.

Kuwabara- YAY! BUTTERFLIES AND KITTENS ARE RUNNING AROUND HERE!

…….Yeah, um…….no more coffee for you. Until next time everybody! (big huge wave)


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